Asaram Bapu booked in Delhi for sexual assault on minor

DELHI: Delhi Police have booked self-styled godman Asaram Babu on charges of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl. A zero FIR under section 376 was lodged at Kamala Market police station in central Delhi. on Tuesday evening. The case pertains to the rape of a girl at a hostel in Jodhpur. “We registered the complaint, but the girl said the incident occurred in Rajasthan, so the case will be forwarded to Rajasthan,” a police officer told IANS. The case is being supervised by Joint CP Tejendra Luthra and inspector Pramod Joshi is investigating the matter. DCP Alok Kumar may question the godman, sources say. The girl’s father is a transporter in Shahjahanpur in UP. Jodhpur and Shahjahanpur police had earlier refused to lodge an FIR after which the victim came to Delhi and made her complaint. The cops are approaching the case cautiously so as not to risk hurting the religious sentiments of a community. Asaram Bapu, who has a large following, was earlier in the news after Gujarat Police filed a case of attempted murder against him and two others. He was also accused of illegal land-grabbing in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

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COURTESY: TOI