Jain monk held for raping 19-year-old on the pretext of performing puja

Yet another self-styled godman, Digambar Acharya Shantisagar, was arrested from Surat for allegedly raping a 19-year-old girl. According to a complaint filed by the girl, the 45-year-old monk raped her on October 1 when he called her and her family to perform some puja and give her his blessings. 

Following his instructions, the entire family had gone to Digambar Jain temple in Napura where the incident happened. The guru had reportedly convinced the entire family to stay back a little longer and took the girl to another room on the pretext of asking for help for the rituals. He raped her there. 

A medical examination was performed on the girl after the complaint was lodged with the police. The reports confirmed rape. According to a report by the quint, the girl could open up about the incident only after 11 days as she was scared of the influence of the godman. She is a student and a native of Madhya Pradesh and is currently residing in Vadodara. 
Her entire family had accepted Acharya Shantisagar as their guru since March 2017. 

After his arrest, thousands of followers gathered at the police station, claiming that the allegations were a ploy to defame the godman.

Gujarat:Acharya Shantisagar Maharaj arrested in alleged rape case in Surat. A 19-yr-old woman had filed complaint that he raped her on 1 Oct pic.twitter.com/m6yxVkU9sI

— ANI (@ANI) October 14, 2017

• india
• gujarat
• rape
• sexual assault