File pic: Asaram Bapu, accused of sexual assault, outside Jodhpur court
The 16-year-old girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Asaram Bapu was made to believe that she was 'possessed' in an elaborate conspiracy to drive her to the spiritual guru for help, a chargesheet submitted by the Rajasthan police today said.
The chargesheet accuses Asaram Bapu of rape and trafficking, besides invoking a stringent law on sexual crimes against children that could entail a life term if charges are proved.
The police say they can prove that the teen complainant was tricked into Asaram's ashram as part of a plan that involved his aides, from the warden of the hostel in Chhindwara where the girl stayed, to Asaram's right hand man Shiva and even his cook.
The 1,300-page chargesheet gives details of how the warden had another inmate "act possessed" to convince the girl, who had been unwell, that she had to go to the godman for help. Over 140 witnesses have been listed in the chargesheet.
The teenager had alleged that Asaram Bapu called her to his ashram near Jodhpur on August 15, ostensibly to exorcise "evil spirits" and attacked her, as her parents waited outside.
The Jodhpur trial court today extended the 75-year-old guru's custody till November 16.
Asaram Bapu, who runs 400 ashrams across India, has been in jail since his arrest in September.
Asaram Bapu has also been accused of sexual assault in Gujarat. The Surat police are investigating the allegations of two sisters who allege that they were assaulted repeatedly by Asaram and his son Narayan Sai between 1997 and 2006.
Asaram's son has been evading the police for weeks.