Vadtal Swaminarayan Temple: Shocking Incident Of Alleged Rape Of A Minor By A Religious Priest, Devotees Protest

A shocking incident of rape of a minor by a religious priest has scarred the conscience of the nation and has led to protests by hundreds of devotees across different cities in western India including Surat, Garhda, Rajkot, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, and Bharuch.

An FIR has been lodged at the Wadi Police against Jagat Prakash Swami, the Kothari Swami of the Wadi Swaminarayan temple in Vadtal for allegedly raping a minor in 2016.

The Minor was 14 years old then.

The complainant who is 23 years now said that she was a regular visitor to the Swaminarayan temple in Vadtal.

One day she received a call from Jagat Prakash Swami who started inappropriately talking to her.

The calls increased in frequency and one day Swamy called the victim in pretext of gifting her a watch.

The victim alleged that Swamy took her to a room and sexually abused her against her will.

The victim also alleged that the Swami asked her to keep quiet And that her family would be hurt.

The victim also made several startling claims not only against Jagat Pawan Swami but also against other senior priests linked to the temple.

The priests have created a social media group and frequently indulged in inappropriate behavior.

The victim finally approached the Wadi Police to file an AIR.

She was asked why she took eight years to report the matter, she said that she was only 14 when the incident happened and no one would have taken her story seriously.

The victim is now an adult and feels that she must seek justice and also bring the perpetrators to justice so that such incidents do not happen in the future. 

The police have registered a case under the POCSO Act and are investigating the matter.

The incident has sent shock waves across the nation and hundreds of devotees have gathered at the Vadtal Swaminarayan Temple today to protest against three monks accused of rape in Vadodara.

The protestors are demanding strict action against the priests who have allegedly indulged in such heinous acts.

The protestors also tried to submit a memorandum at the Kothari office; they found no monks or saints present, so they submitted it to the administrative staff instead.

One of the devotees stated,

“We have come from Surat to appeal to the Board of Directors Committee in Vadtal. In Vadodara and Garhda, within the dominions of Vadtal, disturbing acts are being committed by monks.”

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