Ramesh Jarkiholi Scandal: Woman featured in video seeks protection from HM Basavaraj Bommai
Bengaluru,Mar 13: A woman, who is said to have featured in a video with BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, on Saturday sought protection from the State government.
"I don't have protection. All that I ask you all is 'give me protection'," she said in a video message addressed to Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai. She stressed that she was not aware how the video was made.
"My dignity is lost after the video became public.
People are coming to our house enquiring about me. My parents tried to commit suicide twice and I too attempted suicide at least three to four times," she said in the video message which has gone viral on the social media.
Stating that she did not have political backing, she claimed "Ramesh Jarkiholi had offered her a job and now released her video.I don't know how it has happened."
The video message came on a day police registered a case of extortion and conspiracy against unknown people following a complaint lodged by Jarkiholi.
Jarkiholi alleged a "conspiracy" to finish him off politically.
According to sources, the Special Investigation Team formed by the government to probe the conspiracy behind the scandal have detained at least six people.
Ahead of the assembly session early this month, a social activist had lodged a complaint with police accusing Jarkiholi of exploiting a woman.
Dubbing it as 'sex for job' scandal, video clips purportedly showing Ramesh Jarkiholi in a compromising position with an unidentified woman was widely aired by Kannada news channels.
Jarkiholi rubbished them as fake and said there was a "deep conspiracy". However, he stepped down as Water Resources Minister on moral grounds.
The activist later withdrew his complaint.
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Rape-accused 'godman' Kharat sent to judicial custody till April 14
Nashik (PTI): A court in Maharashtra's Nashik on Wednesday remanded rape-accused self-styled godman Ashok Kharat in a 14-day judicial custody.
Kharat was arrested on March 18 after a 35-year-old woman accused him of repeated rape over a period of three years. Following his arrest, multiple rape complaints were filed against him.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is conducting a probe against Kharat.
As his police custody ended on Wednesday, he was produced before the court. During the hearing, the SIT sought his judicial custody.
Accordingly, sessions judge B N Ichpurani remanded Kharat in judicial custody till April 14. He will be sent to Nashik Road Central Jail.
Kharat is scheduled to be produced in a court in another case on Thursday.
At least 10 FIRs, eight for alleged sexual assault or exploitation and two for cheating, have been registered against Kharat at Sarkarwada police station in Nashik, while the SIT has received more than 100 complaints over the phone against him.
On Wednesday, an SIT team detained Kharat's son Harshvardhan for questioning from their residence in Karmayogi Nagar here. He was let off at night.
The investigators are also trying to trace Kharat's wife Kalpana in connection with the probe against her husband. She is also named in a cheating case in Ahilyanagar district.
'Godman' Kharat heads a temple trust at Sinnar in Nashik and had several political leaders visit him over the years.
Last week, the SIT visited Kharat's office in Nashik along with a forensic science team, from where they recovered several documents, files and other evidence.
Notably, a 20-feet remote-controlled mechanised snake was also seized from his office. Kharat allegedly used the snake to make his visitors believe that he could control a live snake and thus possessed supernatural powers.
