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Police raid Bomjan’s ashram in Sindhupalchok
Police raided the ashram of controversial ascetic Ram Bahadur Bomjan in Sindhupalchok district on Friday.Anish Tiwari
Police raided the ashram of controversial ascetic Ram Bahadur Bomjan in Sindhupalchok district on Friday. A joint team of District Police office, Central Investigation Bureau and forensic experts raided the ashram at Badegaun in the district at around 11 am today.
Bomjan is accused of disappearing his three disciples and murder of one follower. Police have started special investigation around the ashram area following approval from the district court. It has been learnt that Bomjan is in his Sindhuli’s ashram.
“We have cordoned off the ashram and started monitoring the area,” said SP Mukunda Marasini, adding that the police will seal the area until investigation concludes. He said police have only raided the area and initiated the investigation process.
Bomjan, who was dubbed ‘Buddha Boy’ by media in 2005 for allegedly meditating under a tree for months on end, has recently grabbed the media headlines after Setoptai online published a series of investigative reports accusing him of sexually exploiting his female disciples.
Some eyewitnesses claim that a follower Sancha Lal Waiba of Makwanpur was murdered and buried in Sindhupalchok ashram. Likewise, another follower Suresh Ale Magar of Bara and acolytes Fulmaya Rumba and Chunmo Dolma Tamang have gone out of contact from the same ashram. Another nun Sarita Bot has also gone missing.
The families of Fulmaya Rumba and Sancha Lal Waiba of Makwanpur, Suresh Ale Magar of Bara, and Chunmo Dolma Tamang—four followers who disappeared from his ashram—had filed separate police complaints against the controversial ascetic, claiming that their relatives have been out of contact from Bomjan’s ashrams in Bara and Sindhuli district for years.
Despite numerous accusations, no concrete action has been taken against Bomjan. Following the media reports, the Bomjan-affiliated Bodhi Shrawan Dharma Sangh had issued a statement condemning the accusations against him.