Vadtal (Gujarat) September 10: Last Friday,
a shocking incidence of crime was reported from one of the most famous temples
in Gujarat and the headquarters of Swaminarayan Sampraday (Laxminarayan Dev
Gadi), where a Temple Attendant raped an eight-year-old minor girl.
The incident which occurred at Vadtal (less
than 100 kms from the State Capital) has sent shock waves across the state and
more importantly in the Swaminarayan Sampraday. As per the information, a 47-year-old
Temple Attendant of Vadtal Swaminarayan Mandir in the Kheda district of Gujarat
took the minor girl on a pretext of a walk to the nearby Gomti Lake, and on the
way there at a secluded place on Rawli Road allegedly raped her.
The accused, Soham Bhagat is a native of
Madhya Pradesh and has been a resident and a Mandir attendant of Vadtal Swaminarayan
Mandir for the last 20 years. He was introduced to the temple by a Swaminarayan
Satsangi also a native of MP and current resident of the temple.
Satsangi and his family are regulars to the
temple. When the family went to the temple this Friday, the accused was allured
by an eight-year-old minor who was from the family. On a pretext of showing her
the holy Gomti Lake, he asked her to accompany him, but instead he allegedly
raped the girl on a secluded road towards Rawli, and left her there.
On their return home, the mother noticed
that the minor was in pain, when she inquired the reason the girl told her all
the horrific events that had befallen her. The mother took immediate action and
filed a complaint with Chaklasi police station.
Based on the complaint, police rushed to the
spot and sent the victim for medical examination. The accused too was also
arrested soon after and sent for medical examination.
The condition of the girl is now reported
to be stable.