Amidst allegations of sexual assault and financial irregularities, activist Anjali Damania is demanding an investigation into the ties between a former Maharashtra State Commission for Women chairperson and a self-styled godman, Ashok Kharat.
Key Points
- Activist Anjali Damania demands questioning of Rupali Chakankar, former head of Maharashtra State Commission for Women, over alleged links to Ashok Kharat, accused of sexual assault.
- Call records reveal 177 calls between Chakankar and Kharat, prompting calls for a thorough investigation into their relationship.
- Damania alleges that Kharat's rise was facilitated by politicians and officials, some seeking astrological predictions, others for specific favours.
- Police are criticised for alleged lapses in surveilling Kharat's wife, raising suspicions of shielding individuals from investigation.
- The Enforcement Directorate is investigating potential money laundering related to Kharat, who is currently in police custody.
Activist Anjali Damania on Wednesday demanded that Rupali Chakankar, former chairperson of Maharashtra State Commission for Women, be questioned by investigators over her alleged links with self-styled godman and accused in sexual assault cases, Ashok Kharat.
The state government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the allegations against Kharat.
"I have details of call records showing that Rupali Chakankar made 177 calls to Ashok Kharat, including a conversation lasting 22 minutes in a single day. It is necessary that she be questioned in this case. Even after a month, she has not been summoned. I will demand before the SIT that she be called for questioning," Damania told reporters here.
Addressing a press conference here, Damania released a list of phone interactions purportedly between Kharat and several politicians and government officials.
She alleged that Kharat's rise was facilitated by certain politicians and officials. "Some politicians may have approached him merely for (astrological) predictions, but some certainly went to achieve specific ends," she claimed.
Damania further alleged that the police failed in their duty to keep surveillance on Kharat's wife, Kalpana Kharat, who is now absconding, raising suspicions of a deliberate lapse to shield individuals from investigation.
She also criticised Chakankar for terming the matter a "media trial", asserting that the call data in her possession warranted a thorough probe.
Police on Monday had questioned Rupali Chakankar's sister Pratibha Chakankar in connection with the alleged use of her bank account by Kharat.
Kharat, currently in police custody, is being investigated in multiple cases, including sexual assaults and cheating. The Enforcement Directorate is investigating an alleged money laundering angle and has raided entities linked to the accused.
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