Bharat Sevashram Sangha Monk, Padma Shri Awardee, Booked For Rape In West Bengal

Berhampore: Bharat Sevashram Sangha monk Swami Pradiptananda, popularly known as Kartik Maharaj, has been booked for repeatedly raping a woman in Murshidabad of West Bengal, in an FIR lodged at the Nabagram police station on Thursday following a complaint by the victim.

The woman alleged to a Bengali YouTube channel: "Kartik Maharaj raped me several times between January and June in 2013, leaving me pregnant. He later compelled me for abortion at a private hospital in Berhampore.”

She said, "I met Swamiji in December of 2012. He offered me a teacher’s job at Chanak Adibasi Primary School with a salary of ₹2500 per month and free fooding and lodging from January in 2013. He later raped me once in 15 days for six months for giving me the job. When I told him about my pregnancy, he removed me from my job and stopped contacting me.”

Kartik Maharaj, a Padmashri awardee, claimed, "I am a monk, leading a simple life with no connection of women in life. My lawyer will act in this regard soon. I have no political rivalry with anyone. Thousands of my followers will give answers against dirty politics of someone who tried to malign my image.”

Additional SP (Murshidabad) Rasprit Singh said, "A specific case has been registered. An investigation is underway." The incident has come as a shot in the arm of Trinamul Congress which stated on X-handle, “A close ally of @BJP4India, Kartik Maharaj recently awarded the Padma Shri on special recommendation of PM @narendramodi's Govt., stands accused of repeatedly raping a woman inside a school building in Murshidabad.”

It added, “In a country where saints and seers are revered, it is appalling that such individuals are defiling the very sanctity they claim to uphold. We demand a thorough, impartial investigation and the harshest punishment if found guilty. No political proximity should shield the accused. @NCWIndia must break its silence and take immediate cognisance.”