Gujarat temple priest accused of raping girl 8 years ago, FIR filed

Updated on June 8, 2024, 21:09 IST

The police have registered the complaint under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and investigation is underway.

Priest of a Gujarat temple is accused of raping a girl eight years ago when she was 14

Vadodara: The Temple of Wadi Swaminarayan Sect linked to Vadtal sect has once again come into the spotlight. This time, a rape complaint was filed against the temple’s priest Jagat Pawan at the Wadi police station in Vadodara.

According to the victim’s complaint Jagat Pawan Swamithe Kothari Swami of the Wadi Swaminarayan Temple in Vadtal, is alleged to have raped a girl in 2016 when she was 14 years old.

The victim stated that she had been going to the temple since 2014. One day in 2016, she received a call from Jagat Pawan Swami, the call escalated and became more and more obscene. After that, he called her every day. One day, on the pretext of gifting her a watch, he lured her to a room under the Wadi temple where he forcibly raped her. The victim also claimed that he threatened her family and warned them not to reveal the incident.

The victim not only blamed Jagat Pawan Swami but also incriminated other senior priests associated with the temple, KP Swamy and JP Swamy, who are said to have created a social media group where they held group video calls which often resulted in inappropriate behaviour.

When the victim finally went to the Wadi police station to file a complaint, she was confronted with questions about the eight-year delay. She explained that she had not been taken seriously as a 14-year-old. Now, at 23, she felt compelled to seek justice.

The police have registered the complaint under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and investigation is underway.

The police have registered the complaint under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and investigation is underway.

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