Spiritual leader Asaram Bapu was sent to jail in sexual assault case
Asaram Bapu, arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a school girl in one of his ashrams, was today sent to jail after the Rajasthan police told a court that their investigation against the spiritual leader was complete.
The 72-year-old, seen in a red cap and all-white dhoti-kurta, was escorted under tight security to a specially arranged cell in the Jodhpur central jail for his 14-day judicial custody. He may have to stay a day longer as his custody ends on a Sunday.
The guru, who was arrested on Saturday night, was grilled for nearly 26 hours on the allegations of a 16-year-old girl that he sexually assaulted her at his ashram near Jodhpur.
"We have gathered sufficient evidence, all that the girl said has been corroborated in the past 10 days," senior Jodhpur police officer Ajay Lamba said.
The court will tomorrow hear Asaram Bapu's plea seeking to be freed on bail.
The godman told the police that he had not spent any time alone with the girl and she came with her parents as part of the massive crowd that gathered on August 15 for his "satsang" or religious discourse.
The girl and her family have alleged that he spent nearly an hour in a room with her, promising to exorcize her of evil spirits.
The self-styled godman had lied about suffering from a neurological disorder to avoid custody, said the police. "Our doctors have found him to be medically fit," said Mr Lamba. The police also said he had passed a 'potency test'.
In a series of high-drama attempts to avoid being arrested last week, the guru had claimed that he is sick.
The police took him on Sunday to the ashram to gather more evidence and clarity on the chain of events that ended with a police case being filed against the preacher.