He was considered the reincarnation of Buddha: in Nepal, the spiritual leader is accused of rape
[ad_1]
In Nepal, the police detained a 34-year-old spiritual leader, whose supporters consider him the “reincarnation of Buddha”. He is accused of sexually abusing an underage nun.
According to law enforcement officers, Ram Bahadur Bomjana hid from the investigation for three years, writes CNN.
A warrant for the man’s arrest was issued back in 2020 on charges of sexual violence against an underage nun who lived in his temple near Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
The man was detained on the outskirts of Kathmandu, he tried to escape. More than a dozen mobile phones, five laptops and tablets, as well as more than 200,000 US dollars in Nepali and foreign currency were found in his house, law enforcement officials say.
| Photo: Prabin Ranabhat/AFP/Getty Image |
The spiritual leader is accused of sexual violence by a nun, who publicly stated this in 2018. She was a minor at the time of the crime.
However, representatives of the organization that manages the Bomjan ashrams deny the allegations of rape, calling them “completely baseless”.
Bomjan first came to international attention in 2005, when he was 15, when he settled in the jungle to pray for 10 months, according to local media. His followers claimed that he did this without food, sleep or water.
These claims have not been verified, but they have led some people to consider Bomjan as the reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in Nepal about 2,500 years ago and later became known as Buddha, meaning “enlightened one.”
Bomjan was called “Buddha boy” by the local media.
The nickname helped him become famous as thousands of people from all over the country and neighboring India came when he was in the jungle to see him.
After about two years, Bomjan began to preach. Eventually, he and his followers established a network of ashrams throughout Nepal dedicated to his teachings.
But in recent years, Bomjan has been dogged by allegations of wrongdoing.
In 2019, his ashram was raided during an investigation into the disappearance of four of his followers. The search for the missing followers is still ongoing.
Read also: Nigerian megachurch leader raped and tortured his followers – BBC
[ad_2]
Original Source Link
