Arrest of controversial spiritual leader is latest in series of high-profile rape cases fuelling protests in India
A controversial spiritual guru has been arrested on a rape charge filed by a teenage girl in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, police said.
Asaram Bapu was arrested at a spiritual retreat in central India and flown to the city of Jodhpur, where police say he is wanted for allegedly raping the girl, said senior police officer Ajay Singh Lamba.
The case is the latest in a series of high-profile rape cases in India that have fuelled public protests and raised questions about how the police's handling of cases and treatment of victims.
The girl filed a complaint two weeks ago accusing the Hindu religious preacher of raping her when she visited his retreat in Jodhpur with her mother. Members of the girl's family say they have been followers of Asaram Bapu for more than a decade.
Asaram Bapu, who has hundreds of thousands of followers in India and is well known for his discourses on Hindu religion, has denied the charge.
There was drama on Saturday when Rajasthan police arrived at Asarum Bapu's retreat to arrest him. Hundreds of his supporters crowded into the ashram and attacked television crews.
Asaram Bapu was questioned for nearly three hours before he was arrested, police said.
Asaram Bapu outraged many Indians earlier this year when he said the victim of a gang-rape on a New Delhi bus would have been unharmed if she had addressed her attackers as brothers and pleaded with them to spare her. Reported by guardian.co.uk 7 hours ago.
A controversial spiritual guru has been arrested on a rape charge filed by a teenage girl in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, police said.
Asaram Bapu was arrested at a spiritual retreat in central India and flown to the city of Jodhpur, where police say he is wanted for allegedly raping the girl, said senior police officer Ajay Singh Lamba.
The case is the latest in a series of high-profile rape cases in India that have fuelled public protests and raised questions about how the police's handling of cases and treatment of victims.
The girl filed a complaint two weeks ago accusing the Hindu religious preacher of raping her when she visited his retreat in Jodhpur with her mother. Members of the girl's family say they have been followers of Asaram Bapu for more than a decade.
Asaram Bapu, who has hundreds of thousands of followers in India and is well known for his discourses on Hindu religion, has denied the charge.
There was drama on Saturday when Rajasthan police arrived at Asarum Bapu's retreat to arrest him. Hundreds of his supporters crowded into the ashram and attacked television crews.
Asaram Bapu was questioned for nearly three hours before he was arrested, police said.
Asaram Bapu outraged many Indians earlier this year when he said the victim of a gang-rape on a New Delhi bus would have been unharmed if she had addressed her attackers as brothers and pleaded with them to spare her. Reported by guardian.co.uk 7 hours ago.