Nepal's "Buddha Boy" convicted on charge of raping a minor : verdict on July 1

The hearing scheduled for July 1 will determine the punishment.

Om Prakash Thakur, Kathmandu Post, June 24, 2024, Sarlahi : The Sarlahi District Court on Monday convicted Ram Bahadur Bomjan, a controversial ‘spiritual leader’, of child sex abuse. A single bench of Judge Jeevan Kumar Bhandari convicted Bomjan, the court’s registrar Sadan Adhikari said.

A hearing has been scheduled for July 1 to determine the punishment.

The court acquitted Bomjan’s two aides, Jit Bahadur Tamang and Gyan Bahadur Bomjan, in the same case.

Bomjan, who was dubbed ‘Buddha Boy’ by some Western media, is currently under judicial custody at Jaleshwar jail. On January 11, a bench of Judge Bishnu Prasad Regmi had sent him to judicial custody.

A team from the Central Investigation Bureau on January 9 arrested Bomjan from a house in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu.

Bomjan had been in hiding since the District Court, Sarlahi, on February 6, 2020, issued an arrest warrant against him as per a police request. In July 2020, a case of sexual exploitation was filed against him in the District Court, Sarlahi.

In the chargesheet, the District Attorney Office, Sarlahi, had demanded 12-15 years of prison for Bomjan and his two aides for their alleged involvement in the sexual exploitation of the minor.

The chargesheet accuses Bomjan, the prime suspect, of raping a 15-year-old girl who was staying in his ashram (hermitage) at Pattharkot, Sarlahi, as an Ani (nun).

The case filed against the main accused, Bomjan, stated that he raped the minor by luring her to his private quarters at 9:20pm on August 4, 2016.

He has further been charged with threatening the girl with consequences if she disclosed the incident to others.

On February 23, 2020, after the victim turned 18, a complaint against him was registered at the District Police Office in Sarlahi.

On June 18, 2020, a team from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police raided his ashram in ward 8 of Kamalamai Municipality in Sindhuli district but he was not found there. Police suspected he might have fled the place.

Five families have filed complaints against him in different police offices accusing him of murder, disappearance and sexual exploitation of his followers.

Bomjan shot to fame in 2005 after reportedly meditating for months without food, water, or sleep, leading the media to dub him the ‘Buddha Boy’. After emerging from his meditation, he and his followers set up ashrams in Bara, Sarlahi, Sindhupalchok and Sindhuli districts, where the alleged abuses took place, the police said.

https://kathmandupost.com/province-no-2/2024/06/24/court-convicts-buddha-boy-of-child-sex-abuse

Agencies: Bomzan is married to Dipsikha, who is from Mirik, Darjeeling. Their marriage has sparked controversy because, according to Tamang tradition, he cannot marry or have children with his current wife. Dipsikha belongs to the Dumzan sub-caste of the Tamang people. In Tamang tradition, Bomzan and Dumzan are considered siblings and are prohibited from marrying.

AINS, Kathmandu, June 24, 2024 : The Sarlahi District Court on Monday convicted “Buddha Boy,” aka Ram Bahadur Bomjan, on charges of raping a minor, court officials confirmed.

Dubbed “Buddha Boy” in early 2005, the controversial spiritual leader was arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal from the outskirts of the capital Kathmandu and taken to Sarlahi on January 10, earlier this year.

“The District Court, Sarlahi, has convicted him of sexual misconduct against a minor. The Court will deliver its verdict in the case on July 1,” Court Official Sadan Adhikari confirmed to ANI over the phone.

The 34-year-old, originally named Ram Lal Bomjan, who since 2005 has been known as “Buddha Boy,” or the reincarnation of Gautam Buddha, is charged with rape and forceful disappearance at various police stations in the Himalayan nation.

Bomjan came to the attention of the public in 2005 after he claimed to have meditated for months without food, water, or sleep. Soon after his meditation, he set up ashrams in Bara, Sarlahi, Sindhupalchowk, and Sindhuli Districts.

Earlier in July 2020, the District Court in Sarlahi registered a case of sexual exploitation filed by a minor female disciple (aged 15 at the time). As per the charge sheet, the incident took place at the ashram in Pattharkot, Sarlahi.

Soon after the filing of the complaint, the Police discovered that four of his disciples had also gone missing from his ashram. In June 2020, a joint team from CIB, Bagmati Provincial Police, and District Police Offices in Kavre, Sindhupalchowk, and Sarlahi conducted a raid at his ashram in Pairey, Sindhuli, but could not locate him.

The victim accused Bomjan of rape at night on August 4, 2016. The minor also stated that she kept it hidden after receiving threats from Bomjan to not relay the incident to others otherwise will face the consequences.

Worshipped and regarded as the reincarnation of Gautam Buddha, Bomjan had a significant number of disciples but was on the run since early 2020. Complaint was filed against him for sexual exploitation by female disciples.

A local news portal, Setopati.com, reported the incident in a series that unearthed the incidents that took place inside the ashrams of a claimed spiritual leader.

Apart from the sexual exploitation charges, the dubbed “Buddha Boy” also has been charged with the disappearance of five people–his disciples in different districts.

A local news portal, Setopati.com, reported the incident in a series that unearthed the incidents that took place inside the ashrams of a claimed spiritual leader.