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Indian Guru Asaram Bapu Found Guilty of Raping 16-year-old Girl

Femalista,
April 26, 2018

An Indian
spiritual guru who claims to have millions of followers has been found guilty
of raping a 16-year-old devotee in 2013.

Asaram
Bapu faces a maximum sentence of life in prison in the latest in a series of
high-profile rape cases in India, which have fuelled public protests and raised
questions bout how police handle the cases and treat the victims.
The
verdict against the 77-year-old self-styled “godman” was read out inside a prison
in the city of Jodhpur, in Rajasthan state, because of fears his followers may
resort to violence.
In August
last year, another flamboyant and controversial Indian spiritual guru, Gurmeet
Ram Rahim Singh, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of
raping two followers.
His
supporters went on a deadly rampage in response, killing at least 38 and
injuring more than 200 during protests in Haryana state.
Judge
Madhusudhan Sharma will announce the prison term for Bapu later after hearing arguments
from the prosecution and his lawyers.
Bapu has
denied the rape and can appeal against his conviction in a higher court.
In her
complaint to the police in 2013, the girl accused Bapu of raping her when she
visited his Jodhpur retreat with her mother.
The
girl’s family said they had been followers of Bapu for more than a decade.
The guru
has been in prison since his arrest in the case in 2013.
On
Wednesday, security was tight around the prison complex and in states where
Bapu has a considerable following.
He is
also on trial along with his son, Narayan Sai, in a separate rape case where
two sisters have accused the two men of sexual assault.