'Tantrik' awarded seven-year jail term for raping woman

Bhawani Baba, a 'tantrik' claiming to have spiritual powers, has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a Delhi court for raping a 28-year-old widow by hypnotising her on pretext of solving her problems.

Jai Narain, 41, an occultist who was popularly known as Bhawani Baba, had raped the woman in May 2009 by locking her inside a jhuggi after making her smell some substance during a ritual, the court concluded in its judgement.

“From evidence, prosecution has been able to prove cogently and firmly all links leading to unerring conclusion that on May 3, 2009 accused Jai Narain, at a jhuggi in Delhi, wrongfully confined the prosecutrix by closing the jhuggi from inside and after hypnotising her committed rape upon her without her consent and also threatened to kill her and her son, if the incident is disclosed to anyone,”said additional sessions judge Mahesh Chander Gupta.
The victim and her minor child had told the court that a ceremony was performed by Narain for which the child was sent out of the jhuggi and she was made to smell something for being hypnotised.

The court was also informed that police had recovered several articles from Narain's home which included female undergarments, 13 photographs of women, panjas  (paws), beak and mouths of birds and a digital player.

The court sentenced Narain to seven years rigorous imprisonment for rape and one year for wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation each. It, however, said all sentences will run concurrently and also slapped a total fine of Rs 5,000 on him. Narain, who remained in judicial custody since his arrest on May 5, 2009, had denied all charges during trial but after conviction he sought lenient punishment contending that he is a poor person, a first time convict.