BENGALURU: A 47-year-old singer, who was allegedly raped and sexually harassed by Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swami of Ramachandrapura Math, has told the investigators that the seer sexually harassed her several times since October 2011. She has also made a statement that the swami claimed that he was the reincarnation of Rama and he made sexual advances with her saying that ‘Rama wanted her to surrender to him completely’.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials who are investigating the case have recorded the statement of the victim. CID sources told Deccan Chronicle that the woman was a prominent singer in the Ramakatha programmes organised by the math. “As per her statement, she was going to different places where the programmes were held. In September 2011 in Gokarna, on the last day of a Ramakatha programme, she was dancing during the procession. The Swami asked her to dance in front of him. Later in the night, he asked her to go to his room and when she reached, he allegedly closed the door and the windows. He praised her and allegedly kept staring at her as if he was expecting something from her,” a source said.
“In the second week of October after a programme in Jodhpur, the Swami allegedly called her inside his room. He gave her some prasada. After she ate it, she claims, she could not asses what was happening. The Swami closed the door and dragged her to his side. He told her that she needed to surrender completely as it would make Rama happy, and allegedly raped her. After that, he made her swear on Lord Rama that she would not reveal the incident to anyone and if she did, the God would curse her family. He allegedly raped her all the four days when they stayed in Jodhpur,” the source explained.
The sexual assault continued on many occasions when the Swami and the victim went to different places for the programmes. Each time, the swami gave her the prasada and raped her.
“After each act, he made her stand before a Rama idol and swear that she would not reveal it to anyone. The victim said that she was sexually assaulted during the programmes in Delhi, Hrishikesh, Puttur, Tirupati, Gulbarga, Mangalore, Mysore and other places. She claimed that she was also raped in the math in Girinagar in the city, the source said.
“She said that her family life suffered because of her abnormal behaviour and she did not reveal it to them as they are god-fearing. The Swami made her visit him frequently and allegedly made sexual advances at her. Though she pleaded with swami to spare her as she had health issues, the Swami allegedly would have none of it and raped her repeatedly,” the source said.
“In April 2013, during a Ramakatha programme in Sigandureshwari Temple in Sagar in Shimoga district, she told Swami categorically that she would not participate in any of the programmes further. Swami got furious and when she tried to resist, he kicked her. When she fell down, he pounced on her and allegedly sexually assaulted her. She told us that such incidents took place several times every month,” the source said.
The CID sleuths are verifying her statements and have collected evidence. “She had preserved her clothes after one such sexual assault and we have collected them and also other evidence. They will be subjected to forensic tests,” the source said.
