Asaram Bapu case: Additional security for rape victim’s father after his ‘fake’ video goes viral

PTI, Mar 14, 2024, 1:49 PM IST

Police here provided additional security to the father of a rape victim and lodged an FIR after a video purportedly showed him apologising for ”making false allegations” against self-styled jailed godman Asaram Bapu, an officer said on Thursday.

Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Meena said an FIR has been lodged, naming Anil Kumar Sharma, the name on the social media account from which the video was allegedly posted. ”Efforts are being made to identify the individual who has posted the video on social media handle with the name Anil Kumar Sharma and those involved in circulating the video on social media platforms with mala fide intentions,” the SP said. ”We have received in writing from the victim’s father that it’s not him in the video which is doing the rounds on social media. Based on his complaint, we registered an FIR under provisions of the Information Technology Act at Kotwali police station on Wednesday evening,” he added.

The matter came to light when the girl’s father, a resident of the Shahjahanpur district, approached police on Tuesday alleging a video was being circulated by the followers of Asaram to malign him and his family.

”Please forgive us. My daughter had made false allegations,” the said video showed a man saying. The video was being widely circulated with the caption that the man shown in it is the father of the girl who was raped by Asaram Bapu in 2013 at his Jodhpur ashram when she was 16 years old.

The family has already been provided police security and following the recent development an additional police gunner has been deputed to the security of the victim’s father, SP said. Self-styled Godman Asaram was convicted by a Jodhpur court in the rape case and was awarded life imprisonment in 2018.