Buddha Boy, 33, arrested for rape of minor

World News, AFP, Updated: Jan. 10, 2024; Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Nepal's "Buddha Boy," 33, arrested over alleged rape of a minor

Accusations go back more than a decade (file).

Nepal's Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said they arrested Ram Bahadur Bomjon, 33, on Tuesday [1/9/24].

Police claim to have picked him up at a house on the outskirts of Kathmandu, where he had allegedly been hiding.

Accusations of abuse and sexual misconduct against Ram Bahadur Bomjon stretch back more than a decade.

KATHMANDU, Nepal - Nepalese police said Wednesday [1/10/24] they had arrested the spiritual leader, whose followers believe him to be a buddha [in the making, or a reborn rinpoche, bodhisattva, or tulku] over allegations of disappearances and rape at his ashrams.

Ram Bahadur Bomjon, known to the world and among his devotees as "Buddha Boy," became famous as a teenager after witnesses said he could meditate motionless for months without water, food, or sleep.

The 33-year-old guru has a devout following but has long been accused of physically and sexually assaulting his followers. It is said he had been hiding from authorities for several years.

He was arrested after being on the run "for several years," police spokesman Kuber Kadayat told AFP.

Police arrested Bomjon in Kathmandu on a warrant issued for the alleged rape of a minor at an ashram in Sarlahi, a district south of Nepal's capital.

They said he was caught with bundles of cash amounting to 30 million Nepali rupees (equivalent to US $225,000) and another $22,500 in foreign currency.

Accusations of abuse and misconduct against Bomjon stretch back more than a decade. Dozens of assault complaints were filed against him in 2010.

He said he beat the victims because they disturbed his meditation. An 18-year-old Buddhist nun accused the guru of raping her at a monastery in 2018.

Police opened another investigation against him the following year after family members reported the disappearance of four of his devotees from one of his ashrams. The whereabouts of the four are still unknown, Dinesh Acharya of the Central Investigation Bureau told reporters on Wednesday.

"Unless we know what situation the missing are in, we are not in a position to call it murder," he said.

Before he went on the run, Bomjon still commanded a legion of followers as the allegations against him mounted. At one point, tens of thousands of people had gathered to witness his reputed miracles of meditation deep in the jungle.

When he was aged 16, Bomjon disappeared for nine months to wander the wilderness of eastern Nepal, prompting a round-the-clock vigil by Buddhist monks (lamas) who prayed for his safe return. Source: Nepal spiritual Leader Ram Bahadur Bomjan, "Buddha Boy," arrested over alleged rape of a minor (ndtv.com)

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  (Wisdom Quarterly) Dear Nepal police, we know it may look bad, but he's a good boy. His father didn't love him enough and let him run around the forest all the time. His brother tried to stop him, but there's no arguing with spiritual fervor to transcend this world of the senses. He doesn't know about girls, and maybe all he had to go after were nuns. We're sure he's sorry and can explain. All we ask is a fair trial where witnesses can be brought forward so they can say their peace and facts can be investigated. While you hold him, can we request a quiet cell maybe with a nice view and a cushion for sitting. He doesn't eat much or need water. Let him show you he can be a model monk, if not a good prisoner, by just letting him sit in peace. We'd hate for his followers to break him out. Even the Buddha himself was accused of sexual misconduct that time, remember? Jealous rivals put her up to it, so one woman tied a pillow to her belly and publicly defamed the Awakened One by allowing herself to be prompted to accuse the Buddha of being the father. But Sakka, King of the Devas, could not bear such unrighteousness so he metamorphosed into a mouse and gnawed through the threads holding the pillow in place until it fell to the ground in front of everyone, clearing the Tathagata and putting to shame his libelous slanderers and jealous rivals. We're not saying that's happening here, just that in the United States we pretend to believe that an accused person is actually innocent until proven guilty. Do you think you guys can pretend the same thing and at least provide Mr. Bomjon with the semblance of a public trial that allows the possibility that this is all a mix up or a case of false accusations? P.K. Sarkar, the founder of Ananda Marga, was jailed. So was MLK Jr. Gandhi had a tough time. We're just say, we know it looks bad, but let's let the law run its course and have a fair jury empaneled to decide. Thank you in advance.