Buddhist monk in Nepal convicted for raping minor disciple

A district court in eastern Nepal convicted a popular self-styled spiritual leader for raping a minor disciple on June 24.

Ram Bahadur Bomjan, 33, known as Little Buddha among his thousands of followers across the world, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor girl in 2016.

The girl was staying as a nun at one of Bomjan's hermitages inside the forest in the eastern Bara district.

Judge Jeevan Kumar Bhandari from Sunsari District Court convicted Bomjan. The punishment will be announced on July 1, Sadan Adhikari, the district court's registrar, said on June 25 

“This is welcome news. No one should be above the law,” said Seema Khan, vice-chairperson of the Nepal Muslim Women Welfare Society, on June 25.

Khan added that abusing power “under the guise of religion” should be punished.

“There is a notion among ardent followers that their superiors cannot do anything wrong. This is a wake-up call for them,” said Mukta Singh Tamang, an anthropologist associated with Tribhuvan University in Nepal's capital Kathmandu.  

Bomjan rose to prominence at 16 after purportedly meditating for months without food and water in the forest in eastern Nepal before becoming an “enlightened” one in 2005.

He was arrested on Jan. 9 over a dozen complaints of sexual assault, physical abuse, and involvement in the disappearance of at least five followers. 

In the latest case, the rape victim's family filed the complaint on Feb. 6, 2020. Bomjan is accused of targeting the minor girl in his private room at his hermitages inside the thick forest in eastern Nepal.

The complaint accused Bomjan of threatening to liquidate the victim and her family if she complained.

Bomjan was absconding but was arrested in January from his residence in Kathmandu. Nepali rupees and foreign currencies were unearthed from his house.

However, Bodhi Shrawan Dharma Sangha, a non-governmental organization associated with Bomjan condemned the Nepali court's decision to convict their leader on "false charges."

In a press statement on June 25, the Sangha demanded a review of the decision.

"This is an attack against our religious belief and sentiments. We also alert the concerned authorities to bear the consequences if the decision is not reversed," said Neil Bahadur Thing, chairperson of Sangha.

Bomjan’s case highlights the growing involvement of self-styled spiritual leaders in criminal activities.

In 2019, a Buddhist spiritual leader who claimed to be a reincarnation of the Lama (Buddhist spiritual leader) was convicted of rape. He was running a monastery in Kathmandu and was accused of repeatedly raping his female followers.

A case of alleged rape against Krishna Bahadur Giri, known as Siddhababa, is pending in a high court. The complaint was filed by a female follower in 2019.