Amritsar: In a shocking incident the head priest of Ram Tirath Temple here and his associate have been arrested. They have been booked for holding two women captive and for raping them repeatedly. The incident came to light when personnel of the Punjab police raided the Gyan Nath Ashram within the temple premises May 18. They rescued the women held captive and nabbed the priets.
2 culprits escape
The two priests have been identified as Girdhari Nath and Varinder Nath respectively. Police are also on the lookout for two other priests involved in the ghastly act. They are Suraj Nath and Nachhatar Nath. They managed to give the police the slip. A state-wide search for the two has been launched.
Ill-fated victims
Sources said that the two women had gone to the ashram to meet head priest Girdhari. They wanted to lodge a complaint against Suraj and Nachhatar who they alleged had raped them. However, instead of acting on the complaints of the victims, Girdhari and Varinder confined and raped them again. One of the victims is a 25-year-old young woman while the other is 40 years old.
Punjab Police DSP Gurpartap Singh Sahota, said they conducted raid on the ashram after a written complaint was filed by Tarsem Singh Sialka. She is a member of the Punjab Commission for Scheduled Castes.
Sources said that phones of the victims were forcibly taken away by Girdhari and Varinder. They were then held captive and raped repeatedly.
Good luck for victims
But as they say crime does not pay. Somehow one of the victims managed to get her phone back. She informed her family members in Gurdaspur regarding her predicament. After a formal complaint was lodged a police team led by senior officials Sahota and SP Amandeep Kaur conducted the raid. They rescued the women and arrested the two priests. Police said that the two arrested priests have been were booked under section of 376, 379, 506 of IPC.
People shocked
The macabre incident has shocked the people of this town. The Ram Tirath Temple is considered a very holy place and a must visit place here. The temple is said to be Ashram of Saint Valmiki. Folklore has it that is the same place where where Valmiki gave shelter to Sita. It is the place where Lord Ram and Sita’s sons Luv and Kush were born.
Agencies