A key witness in the rape case against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu was shot at and seriously injured by unidentified assailants in Shahjahanpur district, the ninth attack against witnesses in the case.

Kripal Singh, 35, was shot at by two motorcycle-borne persons in the Puwayan area in Shahjahanpur when he was on his way home from the market on Friday night, police said.

He was threatened



Before escaping, the duo warned him against deposing against Asaram.

Special police teams have been constituted to track down the assailants.

Mr. Singh, who sustained serious bullet injuries, was rushed from Shahjahanpur to a Bareilly hospital.

In a statement given to the Additional City Magistrate, Mr. Singh alleged that people connected to Asaram had been threatening him.

Police said Mr. Singh was an employee of a transport firm, whose owner’s daughter had lodged a case against 74-year-old Asaram for allegedly sexually assaulting her at his ashram near Jodhpur in Rajasthan in 2013.

Mr. Singh is a key witness and his statement in the case against Asaram had been recorded some three months ago.

9 attacked so far



In the last attack against Asaram’s witness, his cook was shot dead in Muzaffarnagar in U.P. in January.

Nine witnesses have been attacked so far and two have died.