Mumbai: He referred to as himself ‘Captain’. He had sailed to 154 nations, he mentioned, spent 22 years at sea, seen the world whole.

When he got here house to Nashik, he constructed a temple within the hills of Sinnar, based a Belief, took up the mantle of astrologer and numerologist, and started receiving the highly effective. A chief minister got here. Ministers got here. The chairperson of the state ladies’s fee got here–and, on not less than one event, washed his toes.

The FIR, lodged by a 35-year-old girl at Sarkarwada Police Station in Nashik, alleges that Kharat gained her belief by claiming divine powers. He allegedly summoned her to his metropolis workplace and sexually assaulted her after giving her intoxicating drinks. The abuse, she alleged, continued from 2022 to December 2025.

Maharashtra Police has appointed a particular investigation staff (SIT) led by senior IPS officer Tejaswi Satpute to probe the case.

Kharat—a retired service provider navy officer who reinvented himself within the language of numerology, cosmology and non secular steering—is president of Shri Shivnika Sansthan, the Belief that manages the Ishanyeshwar Mahadev temple he based at Mirgaon, Nashik.

Produced earlier than the Nashik District Classes Court docket on 18 March, he was remanded in police custody for seven days. He has been booked beneath sections 64 (rape) and 74 (felony intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and beneath provisions of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Different Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.

Senior Inspector Anchal Mudgal of Crime Department (unit 1) confirmed that one girl filed a grievance. “His background shouldn’t be clear for the time being, however the investigation continues to be occurring,” he mentioned.

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Political entry

What made Kharat matter in Maharashtra’s political world was not the temple. It was who got here to it.

In November 2022—5 months after Eknath Shinde broke with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena to stake out his personal declare to the social gathering—the then chief minister made the journey to Mirgaon. He was accompanied by his spouse, then Income Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, after which Main Training Minister Deepak Kesarkar. {A photograph} of the go to was broadly circulated on the time.

Kesarkar, searching for to comprise the ensuing controversy, provided an evidence for the go to: “Captain Kharat has an Ishanyeshwar temple. Shinde sir had donated for a cowshed there.”

He had taken up development of a cowshed in Nashik, Kesarkar advised reporters on the time, and had needed Shinde to go to the location earlier than work started. “Captain Kharat’s career is fortune telling, but when Shinde needed to know the longer term, why would he go there? He may have referred to as Kharat to Mumbai,” he added.

ThePrint has reached out to Shinde for touch upon the controversy. The report can be up to date if and when he responds.

Amongst these whose presence is drawing scrutiny is Rupali Chakankar, chairperson of the Maharashtra State Ladies’s Fee—and a named member of Kharat’s Belief.

Inside hours of the self-styled godman’s arrest, a video purportedly displaying Chakankar washing Kharat’s toes at a ceremony and a picture of her holding an umbrella for him had been circulating broadly on social media.

Anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania, who shared on Twitter a doc that she mentioned listed members of the Belief’s membership, framed the query pointedly: “A video of Maharashtra State Ladies’s Fee Chairperson washing the toes of Ashok Kharat, who faces rape allegations? For what number of years have they identified this individual? Their organisation? Additionally a point out of the place held there.”

Chakankar moved rapidly to distance herself from Kharat.

“The Shivnika Sansthan Belief is the Belief of the Mahadev Devsthan, and sometimes social programmes are held there. Due to this fact, in reference to that, many people had develop into related to the Belief’s actions. This included many revered people from the society,” she wrote on Twitter shortly after his arrest.

In a separate put up, she added: “I’ve no data about Captain Kharat’s private life or the allegations made towards him. Concerning the allegations being made now, the police will examine impartially. I’ve full religion within the police investigation.”

The denial drew a direct rebuttal from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) social gathering chief, Sushma Andhare, who alleged that Chakankar had identified about Kharat’s conduct not less than a 12 months earlier than his arrest—and had acted to suppress its publicity.

Sharing what she described as an apology letter extracted from an area newspaper, Andhare wrote: “Rupali Chakankar is liar primary. When the native newspaper ‘Khabardar Pudhari’ tried to reveal Kharat’s misdeeds, she threatened authorized motion towards it and extracted an apology from him (reporter).”

Andhare added: “What is going to this Chakankar girl, who now claims no data of this matter, should say about this apology letter.”

Opposition turns up the warmth

Kharat’s arrest has given the Opposition a goal.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshwardhan Sakpal shared pictures of Kharat alongside Union Dwelling Minister Amit Shah, Eknath Shinde, and Rupali Chakankar in a message addressed on to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis: “Captain Ashok Kharat, this rapist astrologer, has an in depth connection together with your Bhartiya Janata Get together and the Mahayuti authorities. You’ve saved many fools like him round to your personal egocentric pursuits. Now, don’t make the error of making an attempt to save lots of him both.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Sanjay Raut described the case as “The Epstein File of Maharashtra”, reposting activist Vijay Kumbhar, who framed the arrest because the unravelling of an elite safety racket.

There was additionally criticism from Mahayuti coalition members. NCP (Ajit Pawar) chief Rupali Thomre Patil, at a press convention Thursday, referred to as for Chakankar to be penalised for what she termed wilful neglect.

“The braveness of the fraudulent godman grew due to her assist. With out backing, no felony would have acted so boldly. If she had not requested for an apology, these ladies may have been saved a 12 months in the past,” she mentioned.

Patil additionally demanded Chakankar’s elimination, warning that her continued tenure would jeopardise the investigation. “I’m 100% positive, if Mrs. Rupali Nilesh Chakankar stays on the Ladies’s Affiliation, then she is going to change the case. She is going to give orders to the police, and with the consent of the police, she is going to destroy the video. As a result of this video needs to be seized, and brought from the police custody, and brought to the courtroom,” she mentioned.

Requested concerning the case, BJP’s state spokesperson Navnath Ban advised ThePrint the case is beneath investigation and the social gathering won’t defend any individual discovered responsible. “That is concerning the safety of girls. The social gathering will let the police conduct their investigation independently and won’t defend any individuals discovered responsible,” he mentioned.

(Edited by Prerna Madan)

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