Lucknow: Mahant held for sodomy with youth, sexual assault on sister
TNN / Updated: Apr 13, 2022, 09:02 IST.
LUCKNOW: A 50-year-old mahant of a temple in Chowk was arrested for sodomising a 20-year-old youth. He was also accused of sexually harassing the complainant’s sister while holding her captive in a room inside the temple.
Police have registered a case and arrested the accused, Om Bharti, the mahant of Badi Kali Temple.
The complainant said he used to do photography work for people organizing religious functions and also ran a shop in Chowk. He alleged that the mahant used to force him to massage his body and often touched him in an inappropriate manner. “I got apprehensive and stopped going to him. When he threatened me that he would harm my business, I started visiting him again, bearing his immoral activities,” he claimed.
“One day, he sodomised me. He called me the next day and presented a saree and silver ornaments to me as ‘prasad’ and asked me to keep mum on the issue,” he said.
“However, I informed my mother who told me that the mahant had also sexually harassed my sister on April 4,” he said, adding that the mahant had musclemen as his disciples who could harm him.
Assistant commissioner of police, Chowk, IP Singh said an FIR had been lodged under the charges of sexual harassment and indulging in unnatural sexual act.
Police said Bharti was nabbed by the Delhi police on rape charges in the past too but was acquitted. He had joined the temple six months ago.
Police have registered a case and arrested the accused, Om Bharti, the mahant of Badi Kali Temple.
The complainant said he used to do photography work for people organizing religious functions and also ran a shop in Chowk. He alleged that the mahant used to force him to massage his body and often touched him in an inappropriate manner. “I got apprehensive and stopped going to him. When he threatened me that he would harm my business, I started visiting him again, bearing his immoral activities,” he claimed.
“One day, he sodomised me. He called me the next day and presented a saree and silver ornaments to me as ‘prasad’ and asked me to keep mum on the issue,” he said.
“However, I informed my mother who told me that the mahant had also sexually harassed my sister on April 4,” he said, adding that the mahant had musclemen as his disciples who could harm him.
Assistant commissioner of police, Chowk, IP Singh said an FIR had been lodged under the charges of sexual harassment and indulging in unnatural sexual act.
Police said Bharti was nabbed by the Delhi police on rape charges in the past too but was acquitted. He had joined the temple six months ago.
