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A 19-year-old Vadodara college student has lodged a complaint alleging that a Surat-based Jain monk raped her when she and her parents came to seek blessings from him two weeks ago. As per the police complaint, the girl and her parents, who had settled in Vadodara a few years ago, had come to Surat on October 1 to meet the acharya of a Digambar Jain temple in Nanpura area. The girl has alleged that the monk took her to a private room near the temple on the pretext of conducting “prayer” and raped her.

Police said the girl narrated the incident to her mother after they reached home. Initially, the family was afraid to speak up against the acharya. But as the girl’s mental condition worsened, they decided to file a complaint. The family had come in contact with the monk a few months ago when they attended a religious meeting in Vadodara. According to the girl’s family, the monk had interacted with them and exchanged mobile phone numbers.

“The victim approached us on Friday. Based on her statements, we registered a case against the accused. The girl was sent for medical examination where prima facie it seemed that she was raped. We will arrest the monk soon,” DCP Vidhi Chaudhary said. Police have registered a case under IPC section 376 (1). A delegation of Jain community met Surat Commissioner Satish Sharma, seeking free and fair investigation in the case.

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