Congress leader made serious allegations against the government in Ashok Kharat case

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Serious allegations by Vijay Wadettiwar, big revelation in Ashok Kharat case

Mumbai. Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar has made serious allegations regarding the case of Ashok Kharat. He said that if the truth of this matter comes out, it can have a deep impact on the government. While talking to the media, Wadettiwar said that self-styled godman Ashok Kharat could be made a scapegoat to protect some influential people. He also expressed fears that there could be attempts to destroy evidence and there was a danger of causing serious harm to Kharat, which could lead to an ‘Epstein-like case’.

Issue of contact with 39 MLAs

Wadettiwar said Kharat should be given harsh punishment and action should be taken against all those persons who helped him in this case. He cited the statement of Minister Deepak Kesarkar, in which it was mentioned that 39 MLAs were in contact with Kharat. Wadettiwar demanded that criminal cases be registered against these MLAs and the names related to Kesarkar be made public. He alleged that efforts were being made to hush up the entire matter and that all persons involved, be they MLAs or ministers, should be thoroughly investigated.

Target on PM Modi

During this, Wadettiwar also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He alleged that the government is more busy in electoral politics instead of paying attention to the problems of the country. He questioned the government’s preparedness, citing increasingly long queues for essential commodities, such as LPG cylinders, amid the Middle East crisis.

Kharat’s police custody extended

Meanwhile, a Nashik court in Maharashtra has extended the police custody of self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, arrested on rape charges, till April 1. Kharat was arrested on March 18 after a woman accused him of repeatedly raping her over three years. Kharat heads a temple trust in Mirgaon in Nashik district and has links with several prominent politicians. So far, 10 FIRs have been registered against him, most of which relate to sexual harassment.

More than 100 complaints received

Police said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing against Kharat has received more than 100 phone complaints in recent days, most of which include women. Kharat was produced before the court after the end of his previous police custody period. Public Prosecutor Shailendra Bagde said that the investigation in the case is still going on and the accused is not cooperating.

Water testing and other evidence

Bagde said many women were still coming forward to lodge complaints and the ‘water or liquid’ that Kharat used to give to the victims to woo them before sexually assaulting them was yet to be investigated. He said that the mobile phone data of the accused has been examined and ‘clone report’ has been received.

Investigation into political contacts continues

The prosecutor informed the court that it would also be investigated whether Kharat had saved the names of his political contacts in his phone with fake identities. The government lawyer said that three more days of custody was required for detailed investigation. However, defense lawyer Sachin Bhate said that the SIT was making the same arguments which were presented in the earlier hearing and alleged that the investigation has been completed.

Advocate M Y Kale, representing one of the victims, supported the prosecutor’s demand for extending Kharat’s police custody. After the hearing, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate MV Bharade extended Kharat’s police custody till April 1.