Congress MP Praniti Shinde on Tuesday alleged that self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, who has been arrested in multiple rape cases, could be killed in a fake encounter as more names linked to him are expected to emerge.
“I think Kharat will be eliminated in an encounter. The reason is obvious; more names linked to him are likely to be revealed. These names are also connected to people in power, including ministers,” Shinde told PTI.
“More evidence may come out, but something may happen to him first,” she added.
Nashil Police arrested Kharat on March 18
Kharat was arrested by Nashik police on March 18 for allegedly repeatedly raping a woman over three years. Subsequent investigations revealed additional cases of sexual exploitation, land grabbing, and cheating. Over the years, several prominent politicians had visited a temple built by him in Sinhar tehsil.
Reacting to Shinde’s claim, Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule said some people were making baseless allegations instead of cooperating with the investigation. He said such statements appeared to be an attempt to divert the course of the probe.
“If anyone has information about a possible encounter, they should approach the SIT probing the case. Why make such claims in the media merely to gain attention?” he said, PTI reported.
Nashik court remands `godman` Ashok Kharat to 5-day police custody in fourth rape case
A court in Nashik on Tuesday remanded Ashok Kharat to five days of police custody in connection with a fourth rape case, where he is accused of sexually exploiting a woman who had approached him for help with personal and family issues, reported PTI.
The order was passed by the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate A G Behere, which allowed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to take Kharat into custody until April 18 for further investigation, reported PTI.
SIT seeks custody citing need for further investigation
The SIT probing multiple cases against Kharat had moved an application seeking his custody in the latest case.
After securing permission, officials produced the accused before the court via video-conferencing on Tuesday.
Public prosecutor Shailendra Bagde argued that further custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover details related to the allegations. He told the court that the accused had allegedly administered sedatives to the complainant before sexually assaulting her, reported PTI.
Investigators maintained that additional questioning could help establish the sequence of events and gather crucial evidence in the case.
(With PTI inputs)