In a shameful incident, a 36-year-old sadhvi (Hindu nun) was allegedly gang-raped by 4 men at gunpoint inside an ashram in Jharkhand’s Godda district late on Monday night.
The lone male member at the ashram, told HT, “Four armed men entered the ashram on Monday night. When I tried to stop them, they beat me and locked me up in a room. They also locked four other sadhvis in separate rooms. We also took the victim into our room. But, they dragged her out and locked me from outside.”
So far, one accused has been arrested, while the other three are still on the run, according to Superintendent of Police (SP) YS Ramesh. The police official also said that the incident which took place on the night of September 7 is being investigated at a fast pace.
Although the police is currently investigating, locals have alleged that a land dispute may have triggered the incident.
“On the night of September 7, we got information regarding rape with a sadhvi at an ashram which comes under the jurisdiction of the Muffasil police station. Taking action the police team has arrested one accused Deepak Rana, he has many previous criminal charges against him,” the Superintendent of Police told reporters.
Deepak, who also has a criminal past, has confessed to his involvement in the crime, the police claimed.
Notably, the woman hails from Dhanbad and had come to the ashram from Varanasi in February to attend a religious gathering, but couldn’t return due to the lockdown. She has demanded capital punishment for the accused.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren too had urged the Deputy Commissioner, Godda to take strict action in connection with the incident.
