Jodhpur: The father of the 16-year-old girl raped by Asaram said the " dhongi baba (fake godman)" had brainwashed god-fearing people like him into believing that their children would "do well" in gurukuls run by him.

The father said people like Asaram, who was sentenced to imprisonment till death on Wednesday, gradually won over the loyalty of their disciples by making them believe that "the guru is supreme".

"People like us are brainwashed into believing that they are the incarnation of God. Their so-called mystic powers are repeatedly mentioned and they become the focus of their disciples," said the father, a resident of Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

"When we got completely brainwashed, we were told that there are gurukuls where our children will do well," he said. His daughter had been admitted to a school run by Asaram's ashram in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara and was raped by the godman who had called her to another ashram near Jodhpur in 2013.

"When I came to know what had happened to my daughter, it was shattering for us.... We lost all faith in him when we learnt about his misdeeds," the father said.

He said that even if he were to die now, he would have no regrets as "we have got justice for our daughter".

"We are very happy with the punishment given by the court to Asaram," he told reporters. "Now we do not have any fear as the administration and the court are with us."

"My daughter is very courageous and it is because of her courage that we have managed to ensure that the dhongi baba (fake godman) got punishment for his wrongdoings," he said. "We have won this fight as Asaram will not be able to come out of jail."

According to the girl's father, the family had not been coming out of their home for the past four years. "It is satisfying that the verdict has gone against Asaram," he said. "We had been living in constant terror, our business had been adversely affected."

The father spoke of the hardships faced by the family during the trial, saying he was given "allurements and threats to life".

"His (Asaram's) men had asked me to tell the media that he was innocent. They had said that if the court freed him, they would give me as much money as I want," the victim's father said. "With police security at our place, threats were also sent through our relatives."

The principal of the ashram-run school where the girl studied said he was relieved after the verdict, adding that he had been receiving threats from Asaram's followers to change the child's date of birth to help the godman evade stringent punishment under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The courtroom was convened on the jail premises on the orders of Rajasthan High Court in view of the possible threat to law and order posed by Asaram's supporters following his conviction and sentencing.