Grabbed breasts amid chants: Stories of godmen abusing women in garb of 'healing'
Two women, speaking to India Today Digital, recount their deeply disturbing experiences of sexual abuse at the hands of men who claimed to possess supernatural powers. It was their parents' superstition that led them into the clutches of these godmen and the silence that followed that ultimately shielded the perpetrators. These real stories highlight how silence and superstition empower predatory godmen like Nashik's Ashok Kharat. "Baba ji asked the woman to pull up her kurta up grabbed her breasts. He then started chanting some mantras." There is a thin line between faith and foolishness, often blurred by 'godmen' who exploit people and sexually abuse women under the pretext of helping them. There is no dearth of such babas in India, but the shocking details that emerged from Nashik godman Ashok Kharat’s case have once again spotlighted this disturbing reality. Kharat is accused of raping women, sexually assaulting a pregnant woman, and forcing her to ab...