Lucknow, March 25: A Canadian woman was allegedly raped by a Naga sadhu after she landed in his Varanasi ashram in search of “intriguing, mystical India”.
Police detained the sad-hu today. He was under the influence of some intoxicant, they said. A case of rape has been registered against him at Velu Math police station and he is being interrogated.
In a medical report submitted to the police, a private hospital where the wo-man is being treated has said she was raped.
Sanjiv Singh, a doctor who is treating the woman, said: “She was brought here in an unconscious state and appeared to be under the influence of some drug.”
Police sources said the incident happened on the evening of March 22. Early next day, the 25-year-old was found near Kedarghat, one of the rows of ghats that attract tourists. The ghats have several clandestine hashish joints where sadhus and tourists are often found having a smoke together.
The police are yet to rec-ord the full statement of the woman as doctors said she had to undergo surgery and is recuperating. The Canadian embassy has been informed and the woman’s parents are expected to reach Varanasi soon.
The woman had come to Varanasi to take tabla lessons from a classical musician about three months ago. She was one of the several foreign tourists who look upon Varanasi as a mystical city and used to frequent the ghats in her attempt to comprehend “the intriguing India”, the musician said.
Local residents said she was seen on March 22 at the ashram of Anand Giri, a Naga sadhu belonging to the Juna Akhara. After having a smoke with the sadhu, she stayed back in the ashram near Kedarghat till late in the night.
Police sources said they suspect the woman had an overdose of hashish and the sadhu took advantage of her intoxication. Locals who found her on the ghat, took her to the hospital and informed the police.
The police have named Giri as an accused. The woman, too, has named him in her initial statement. But Giri defended himself saying: “Not me, some other sadhu had done it (rape).”
