New Delhi (Sputnik) — A video of a Hindu godman getting thrashed by a group of women has emerged from India's holy town of Vrindavan in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The priest in the video, which has gone viral on social media, has been identified as Bhagwatacharya Vasudeva Shastri who runs an ashram (monastery) in the city. He was thrashed by a group of local women who came to the rescue of two girls whom the priest had been allegedly sexually exploiting over the last few months.
#WATCH A priest accused of sexually molesting girls, thrashed by women in Mathura's Vrindavan. The priest was later arrested by Police pic.twitter.com/d8Iwsr2dKR
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) 27 декабря 2017 г.
"The priest had slyly recorded the girls while they were bathing and was blackmailing them to entertain his sexual demands," a local resident told Sputnik on condition of anonymity.
The Uttar Pradesh police are probing the matter after arresting the priest.
READ MORE: Russian Tourists Get Into Trouble in India for Using Drone Cameras in Temple
Allegations of sexual exploitation against Godmen are not new to India. Recently, a self- proclaimed godman, Virendra Dev Dixit, was accused of raping his ashram inmates. Gurmeet Ram Rahim, another godman with a huge fan following, is behind bars on charges of sexual exploitation of his female disciples. Another equally popular godman, Asaram Bapu, is also facing criminal charges including sexual exploitation of minors.
