NASHIK RAPE HORROR: In Maharashtra, in Nashik, a self-proclaimed godman, a so-called Bhondu Baba, has been accused of raping a 28-year-old woman in the name of spiritual healing. The woman had come to him in search of alleviation of mental disturbance. The accused, who has been identified as Maheshgiri Baba aka Mahesh Dilip Kakde, has been registered against under the provisions of the anti-witchcraft law of the state on the complaint of the woman.
Who is Mahesh Dilip Kakde aka Maheshgiri Baba?
Her parents took the survivor to a godman because of family problems and her state of mind, which is that of a security guard based in Nashik and employed in one of the private hospitals. The accused claimed to have divine powers and therefore, told the family that the woman was possessed by a spirit and to treat her, he could.
The complaint states that he requested the woman to come to prayers on Thursdays and overtime he started sending her personal and obscene messages on her mobile phone. He is accused of requesting her in August 2024 to meet him in an isolated area and taking her to a lodge.
How Maheshgiri Baba threatened women with ‘divine powers’
When the woman resisted, he presented her with the rudraksha beads and threatened her with, “I have divine powers, you will not be able to resist anything” and forcefully got sexually involved with her. He was also accused of taking nude pictures of her.
The complaint also adds that at a later time when the survivor shared with her family members, the accused increased his threats. He purportedly called her to his office purporting to be a goon and told her not to go to the police. He also allegedly took her phone and deleted messages and other forms of evidence of the abuse.
The woman finally joined the anti-superstition organisation Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti after a long time being silent out of fear. This has led to a complaint being filed with the Maharashtra Police and an investigation is ongoing.
Similar incident of Ashok Kharat
Another such case has recently taken place in Nashik of a self-proclaimed godman, Ashok Kharat. He was apprehended in March when a woman who was married alleged that he raped her more than three times over a period of three years, is charged with a number of other serious offences, including sexual intercourse by deception, and the violation under the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.
Similarly, in another case in Akola, Maharashtra, another self-proclaimed godman has also been charged with cruelty on children in pretext of treatment. The shocking images of the accused, Chetan Sunil Mule, also referred to as Gulal Shesh Maharaj, pulling children using his teeth, sitting them on nail-ridden surfaces and exposing them to hazardous rituals surfaced on social media.
The accused has been arrested under several sections, such as Section 125 of the IPC and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, related to cruelty against children, and Section 3 of the Maharashtra Anti-Superstition Act, 2013. According to officials, this sort of activity is very dangerous for the safety of children.
