Thiruvananthapuram: A 54-year-old self-styled god-man in Kerala whose genitals were mutilated by a woman when he allegedly attempted to abuse her, is facing another charge of swindling money.
Sreehari, alias Hari swami, who also goes by the name of Gangeshananda Theerthapada Swami, had his penis almost severed by the woman, when he allegedly attempted to molest her at the woman’s home in the state capital on Friday night.
The woman later told police that the man had been abusing her from the time she was a higher secondary schoolgirl. Her father is confined to the home owing to ill health. Police questioned her mother, suspecting that she had a role in the swami’s visits to their home.
Following instruction from police, the swami has been moved to the special cell at the Medical College Hospital where he is undergoing treatment after the genital gashing. Reports indicate that because of fear of likely infection, he will be moved to prison only after the wound heals.
The man is now facing another charge of swindling money from the family. Local media reported that the woman’s parents told the police that over a period of time, he had misappropriated Rs4 million from the family.
However, police are yet to get a written petition from the family in this regard.
The incident has also set off political sabre-rattling, with the Bharatiya Janata Party facing flak on social media for its leaders’ close association with the swami in the past. Several pictures of the swami participating in events alongside BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan surfaced on social media.
Senior BJP leader K. Surendran criticised social media commentators who seemed to give credit to the state government over the incident. “What would have happened if the girl had approached Pinarayi Vijayan’s police? Nothing would have happened. The fraudulent swami would have gone scot free,” Surendran commented.
Popular dubbing artiste, Bhagyalakshmi condemned those who were criticising the woman for not having complained about the abuse all these years. She said similar comments were made earlier, asking the victim girl in Suryanelli why she had not run away from her tormentors, and the Delhi girl who was raped and killed, why she was roaming around the city at night.
Actor Joy Mathew said that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan applauding the woman’s act of gashing the man’s genitals was akin to admitting that the government which should ensure women’s protection was unable to do it.
