Case of ‘godman’ Kharat a blot on Maharashtra: Minister Shirsat

Case of ‘godman’ Kharat a blot on Maharashtra: Minister Shirsat

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, The case involving the self-styled godman Ashok Kaharat is a taint on Maharashtra, and strict action should be taken in this matter, the state's Minister of Social Justice Sanjay Shirsat said on Saturday.

Case of ‘godman’ Kharat a blot on Maharashtra: Minister Shirsat

Kharat, who claims to be a retired Merchant Navy officer and is known as "captain", was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulting a woman.

The arrest of the 'godman', who heads a temple trust at Sinnar in Nashik district and had several political leaders visit him over the years, has sparked a political row in the state.

Speaking to reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Shirsat said the matter is a taint on a progressive state like Maharashtra and that strict action should be taken in this case.

"Many individuals had come in contact with Kharat. We don't know what was going on in their minds when they met him. If anyone visited him despite knowing what he was up to or if someone is still helping him, then it is a crime," he said.

The Shiv Sena leader said photographs of Kharat with many prominent leaders have surfaced, but that doesn't mean those individuals have links with him.

The minister said the matter is being probed and the government will take appropriate action.

Shiv Sena head and then chief minister Eknath Shinde, accompanied by his cabinet colleagues Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Deepak Kesarkar, had met Kharat at the temple in Sinnar in November 2022.

NCP leader Rupali Chakankar, who has faced criticism over her association with Kharat, resigned as the Maharashtra State Women's Commission chairperson on Friday.

The Opposition has demanded that the "big fish", including ministers who allegedly patronised the self-styled godman, must face the probe.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.