Pune: Congress MP Praniti Shinde on Tuesday claimed that self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, arrested in multiple rape cases, could be killed in a fake encounter as more names linked to him were likely to surface.
"I think Kharat will be eliminated in an encounter. The reason is obvious, more names linked to him are likely to be revealed. These names are also connected to people in power, including ministers," Shinde told reporters here.
"More evidence may come out, but something may happen to him first," she added.
Kharat was arrested by Nashik police on March 18 for allegedly raping a woman repeatedly over three years. Subsequent investigations revealed more cases of sexual exploitation, land grabbing and cheating. Over the years, several prominent politicians had visited a temple built by him in Sinhar tehsil.
Reacting to Shinde's claim, Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule said some people were making baseless claims instead of cooperating with the investigation. Such claims appeared to be an attempt to divert the course of the probe, he said.
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"If anyone has information about a possible encounter, they should approach the SIT (probing the case). Why make such claims in the media merely to gain attention?" he said.
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