Mumbai: He known as himself “Captain.” He has sailed to 154 nations, spent 22 years at sea and seen the complete world, he stated.
On his return to Nashik, he constructed a temple on the Shinnar hill, arrange a belief, assumed the position of astrologer and numerologist, and commenced accepting individuals in energy. The Prime Minister has arrived. Ministers got here. The top of the state girls’s fee got here and washed her toes not less than as soon as.
This week, Ashok Kharat – ‘Captain Kharat’, divine man, seer and serial rapist based on a criticism filed with Nashik police – was arrested. Investigators additionally discovered 58 movies of girls on a pen drive in his possession. He’s at the moment in police custody.
The FIR lodged by a 35-year-old girl at Nashik’s Sarkarwada police station alleges that Kalat gained credibility by claiming divine powers. The suspect allegedly summoned her to Metropolis Corridor, gave her an intoxicated drink, after which sexually assaulted her. She stated the abuse lasted from 2022 to December 2025.
The Maharashtra Police has appointed a Particular Investigation Workforce (SIT) headed by senior IPS officer Tejaswi Sapte to analyze the case.
Mr. Karat, a former business naval officer who has reinvented himself within the language of numerology, cosmology and religious steerage, is the chairman of Sri Shivnika Sansthan, a belief that manages the Ishaneshwar Mahadev temple he based in Mirgaon, Nashik.
He was remanded in police custody for seven days, as evidenced within the Nashik district periods court docket on March 18. He has been arrested below sections 64 (rape) and 74 (prison intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita and below the provisions of the Maharashtra Human Sacrifice and Different Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.
Senior Inspector Anchal Mudgal of Crime Department (1st Division) confirmed {that a} girl had filed a criticism. “His background is unknown presently, however the investigation continues,” he stated.
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political entry
It was not the temples that gave significance to Kalat within the politics of Maharashtra. Who was it that got here?
In November 2022, 5 months after Eknath Shinde parted methods with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena to stake his declare to the celebration, the then chief minister headed to Mirgaon. He was accompanied by his spouse, then Income Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, and Major Schooling Minister Deepak Kesarkar. Pictures of the go to have been extensively circulated on the time.
In an try and include the ensuing controversy, Mr. Kesarkar defined his go to by saying, “Captain Kalat has an Ishaneshwar temple. Lord Shinde had donated cash to construct a cowshed there.”
Kesarkar informed reporters on the time that he had began development of a cow shed in Nashik and needed Shinde to go to the location earlier than the work began. “Captain Kalat’s occupation is fortune telling, but when Shinde needed to know the longer term, why would he go there? He might have known as Kalat to Mumbai,” he added.
ThePrint has reached out to Shinde for touch upon the controversy. If he responds, the report can be up to date.
Amongst these making headlines is Rupali Chakankar, chairperson of the Maharashtra State Fee for Girls and a member of the Kalat Belief.
Inside hours of the self-styled godman’s arrest, a video purportedly displaying Chakankar washing Kharat’s toes throughout a ceremony and a picture of her holding an umbrella for him went viral on social media.
Anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania shared a doc on Twitter purporting to listing the belief’s members and framed the query sharply: “Video of the Maharashtra Girls’s Fee chairperson washing the toes of Ashok Kalat, who’s going through rape costs? How lengthy have you ever recognized this individual? Their group? Any point out of their place there?”
Chakankar shortly distanced himself from Kalat.
“Sivnika Sansthan Belief is a belief of Mahadev Devsthan and social packages are held there every now and then. Subsequently, on this connection, many people grew to become concerned within the actions of the belief. Amongst them have been many people who find themselves revered by the society,” she wrote on Twitter quickly after her arrest.
In one other submit, she added, “I do know nothing about Captain Kalat’s private life or the allegations in opposition to him. The police will pretty examine the allegations which might be at the moment being made. I’ve full confidence within the police investigation.”
This denial instantly prompted a rebuttal from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Sushma Andhare, who claimed that Chakankar knew about Kalat’s conduct not less than a 12 months earlier than his arrest and had acted to suppress its disclosure.
Sharing what she known as an apology excerpt from an area newspaper, Andhare wrote, “Rupali Chakankar is the largest liar. When the native newspaper ‘Habardar Pudali’ tried to show Kalat’s misdeeds, she threatened authorized motion and extracted an apology from him (reporter).”
Andhair added: “What’s going to this Chakankar girl, who claims to know nothing about this matter, say about this apology?”
Opposition heats up
Mr. Hallat’s arrest gave opposition events a goal.
In a message immediately addressed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee Chairman Harshwardhan Sakpal shared a picture of Kalat alongside Dwelling Minister Amit Shah, Eknath Shinde, Rupali Chakankar and others. “This rapist astrologer Colonel Ashok Kalat has shut hyperlinks together with your Bhartiya Janata Social gathering and the Mahayuti authorities. You might be corralling many fools like him in your personal private acquire. Now, do not make the error of attempting to save lots of him.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Sanjay Raut described the incident as “Maharashtra’s Epstein file” and reposted a press release by activist Vijay Kumbhar who disguised the arrest as unraveling a case of non-public abuse by elites.
There was additionally criticism from members of the Mahayuti alliance. NCP (Ajit Pawar) chief Rupali Tomre Patil, in a press convention on Thursday, known as for Chakankar to be penalized for what he termed willful negligence.
“Her assist gave the scammer extra braveness. With out her backing, no prison would have taken such a daring step. If she hadn’t requested for an apology, these girls might have been saved a 12 months in the past,” she stated.
Patil additionally known as for Chakankar’s removing and warned that her continued tenure would jeopardize the investigation. “I’m 100% certain. If Mrs. Rupali Nilesh Chakankar stays with the ladies’s affiliation, she is going to change the case. She is going to difficulty an order to the police and with the consent of the police, the video can be destroyed. As a result of this video needs to be seized, taken from police custody and brought to court docket,” she stated.
Requested concerning the case, Bharatiya Janata Social gathering state spokesperson Navnath Bhan informed ThePrint that the case was below investigation and the celebration wouldn’t shield anybody discovered responsible. “That is concerning the safety of girls. The celebration intends to have the police examine independently and won’t present any safety for these discovered responsible,” he stated.
(Edited by Prerna Madan)
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