When a self-proclaimed godman or ‘swami’ walked into her residence in Kerala’s Kollam to pray for the recovery of her ailing father, Smitha (name changed) says she had decided to end her ordeal of many years. The 23-year-old had reportedly faced rape at the hands of the saffron-clad priest who claimed that he hailed from a well-known ashram in Kollam’s Padmana. According to the survivor, the accused had tried to rape her on Saturday night, when she took out a knife and chopped his genitals off.
A little past midnight, she called up the police and informed them about the incident. The alleged rapist, Hari alias Ganeshananda Theerthapada Swami, was admitted to the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram in a critical condition in the wee hours of Saturday, around 12:30 am.
When asked why she would have chosen to do something like this, the Circle Inspector of Pettai station in Thiruvananthapuram said:
She knew that no one would believe her if she had said that she had been sexually assaulted by a man of god. So, this was perhaps the only way she could think of.
Video Editor: Sandeep Suman
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)