The ashram has been running the hospital for the past 20 years

GURUGRAM: Residents of Farrukhnagar’s Bahora Kalan village on Thursday claimed that the godman who had allegedly molested girls and women was also running a 100-bed hospital inside his ashram without permission and could be involved in illegal organ trade. They have requested the chief medical officer of Gurugram to initiate an investigation.

“We found that the ashram was running a hospital without any valid permission. We have observed that even though there was no doctor or medical staff at the hospital, surgeries were being conducted. The godman might be involved in illegal organ trade which needs investigation,” said Sudhir Yadav, a resident. The villagers also said that the godman used to provide them treatment free of cost in the hospital.

Chief medical officer JS Punia, however, said that the health department is yet to receive any such complaint. “We will look into it as soon as we receive it,” said Punia.

Meanwhile, the villagers are still in a state of shock even as a section had staged a protest on Wednesday against the godman, who was allegedly seen in videos with girls and women. Police said he had fled the ashram.

A villager who used to visit the ashram frequently claimed that he and others do not recognise the women in the videos. “They are not from our village. We had no clue that the godman was taking advantage of devotees,” said Bablu Chauhan, a resident.

Sushil Chauhan, another villager, said, “People had blind faith in the godman as he claimed he could solve their problems. We never received any complaint regarding the ashram before this. Even the authenticity of the video is being questioned.”

The village head said that the case against the godman is getting weak as none of the women have spoken out. “We have not received any complaint against him so far. Though we have requested police and district administration to look into the case, other than the viral videos we do not have any proof against him,” said Yajvinder Sharma, the village sarpanch.

Police said an investigation is on. “We cannot arrest someone on the basis on a video. The victims should file a complaint,” said an officer at Bilaspur police station.

