KATHMANDU, Jan 11: Once revered as a modern embodiment of Gautam Buddha, Ram Bahadur Bamjan’s journey from reverence to ridicule has taken a startling turn. With Tuesday's arrest putting an end to his elusive five-year run, the District Court, Sarlahi has ruled in favor of advancing the investigation into Bamjan, the self-proclaimed ascetic mired in controversy. A single bench of Judge Bishnu Prasad Regmi remanded Bamjan into judicial custody, allowing police to continue the investigation against him by keeping him behind the bars.

This decision comes as Bamjan faces accusations ranging from sexual abuse to the alleged murder of one of his disciples. In the court hearing on Thursday, Kailash Dahal, head of the Sarlahi District Government Attorney’s Office argued from the plaintiff's side. Likewise, five lawyers including Kunchan Lama, Mahanidhi Sedhai, Dilip Jha, and Amrit Kumar Lama put forth their arguments from the defendant's side.

It was at a press conference on September 15, 2018 in Lalitpur that a girl from Rautahat made public her claim of being raped by Bamjan. It was the first public accusation against Bamjan. Initially suppressed by fear and pressure, the victim, living as a nun in Bamjan's ashram in Sindhupalchok, finally found the courage to file a formal complaint at the District Police Office, Sarlahi, once the case gained public attention. The complaint, filed in 2020, led to the issuance of an arrest warrant, prompting the police to initiate a search for Bamjan for the crime of sexual abuse.

The victim recounted a traumatic incident, stating that on August 4, 2016, Bamjan attempted to rape her within the confines of the ashram. In a press conference, she revealed that she had to face a lot of challenges in reporting the crime. “I even tried to file a complaint about this matter, but the Guru's wife threatened that if we bring out such a matter, our religion will be attacked and blood will be spilled. Due to that fear, I could not file a complaint initially,” she said. Eventually breaking free from the ashram in June 2018, the victim cited discomfort with Bamjan's temperament as a primary reason for her departure.

Upon his arrest from his residence in Budhanilkantha on Tuesday, subsequent police press conference on Wednesday revealed a glimpse into Bamjan's possessions. The CIB shared that he had been residing in Kathmandu for at least two months, traveling in a Toyota Fortuner with the registration number ( Province3-01 024 Cha 6729). Additionally, the police uncovered four motorcycles, including Cross Fire, KTM Duke, and a Yamaha Ray ZR scooter, along with two laptops and five iPads and tabs from him.

According to SP Prabin Dhital, chief of Sarlahi District Police Office, Bamjan has been sent to the jail in Mahottari due to the lack of space in the Sarlahi-based prison.

 
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