Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said the allegations of sexual assault on self-styled godman Asaram Bapu by a sixteen year old girl were being probed and the truth in the matter would soon be established.
Mr. Gehlot also urged godmen to conduct themselves properly to avoid hurting public sentiments.
“Most sadhus conduct themselves in a proper way and their names never come up in such controversies. But those whose names keep coming up should conduct themselves in a way that leave no scope for false allegations,” said Mr. Gehlot.
“The society revers sadhus and so they should take care to not hurt that sentiment and behave in a way thats beyond suspicion,” he said.
The Chief Minister said he had asked the Jodhpur police commissioner to probe the matter in detail and then act accordingly.
Asaram Bapu, last in news over his inappropriate comments over the Delhi gangrape case, invited fresh trouble when a sexual assault case was registered against him at New Delhi's Kamla Market police station on Tuesday.
The case was filed by a sixteen year old girl who accused Asaram Bapu (74) of sexually assaulting her at a farmhouse in Jodhpur on 15th August.
The victim, belonging to Uttar Pradesh, is reportedly an inmate of Asaram Bapu's ashram in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh.
A prominent local daily in Jaipur published the victim's testimony on Thursday, where she claimed to be an inmate of Bapu's Chhindwara ashram. When she fell ill, aides of Asaram Bapu called her to Jodhpur on the pretext of treating her and then sexually assaulted her at an ashram on 15th August, she alleged.
Bapu's spokesperson Sunil Wankhede has rubbished the allegations, claiming the godman was not even present in Jodhpur on 15th August.
Jodhpur police commissioner Biju George Joseph said a case had been registered against Asaram Bapu and the investigation had been assigned to a female officer of ACP rank.
