Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, March 21 The case involving the self-proclaimed godman Ashok Kaharat is a stain on Maharashtra, and strict action should be taken in this matter, said Maharashtra's Minister of Social Justice Sanjay Shirsat on Saturday.
Kaharat, who claims to be a retired Merchant Navy officer and is known as "captain," was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulting a woman.
The arrest of the "godman," who heads a temple trust in Sinnar in Nashik district and has been visited by several political leaders over the years, has sparked a political controversy in the state.
Speaking to reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Shirsat said that the matter is a stain on a progressive state like Maharashtra and that strict action should be taken in this case.
"Many individuals had come in contact with Kaharat. We don't know what was going on in their minds when they met him. If anyone visited him despite knowing what he was up to or if someone is still helping him, then it is a crime," he said.
The Shiv Sena leader said that photographs of Kaharat with many prominent leaders have surfaced, but that doesn't mean those individuals have links with him.
The minister said that the matter is being investigated and the government will take appropriate action.
Shiv Sena head and then chief minister Eknath Shinde, accompanied by his cabinet colleagues Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Deepak Kesarkar, had met Kaharat at the temple in Sinnar in November 2022.
NCP leader Rupali Chakankar, who has faced criticism over her association with Kaharat, resigned as the Chairperson of the Maharashtra State Women's Commission on Friday.
The Opposition has demanded that the "big fish," including ministers who allegedly patronized the self-proclaimed godman, must face the investigation.
