Asaram rape case: Girl's father gets threat

Shahjahanpur (UP), Mar 20: Days after a sharp shooter who killed 3 witnesses in Asaram cases was nabbed, father of the girl, who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Asaram Bapu, has been threatened by an unidentified person to withdraw the case or face dire consequences.

"Some person had called me yesterday threatening me to withdraw the case against Asaram Bapu. The caller said that if the case is not withdrawn, I will be killed," the victim's father said in his police complaint yesterday.

Superintendent of Police, Manoj Kumar said that security has been beefed up at the victim's residence and probe is on in the matter.

On March 13, Kartik Haldar, self-styled godman Asaram Bapu's alleged henchman, suspected to have shot dead three key witnesses in rape cases filed against the religious leader, was arrested by Anti-Terrorism Squad of Gujarat.

He was allegedly involved in the killings of Asaram's personal doctor Amrut Prajapati in June 2014, his assistant-cum-cook Akhil Gupta in January 2015 and another key witness, Kripal Singh, on July 10, 2015 in different parts of the country, said a release.

All of them were shot from close range as part of a conspiracy to eliminate those who had given their testimonies against Asaram, ATS said.

Kripal Singh was a clerk in the office of a transporter whose minor daughter had lodged a case of sexual assault against Asaram in Jodhpur. Asaram had allegedly sexually assaulted the 16-year-old victim at his ashram near Jodhpur in Rajasthan in 2013.

PTI