THIRUVANTHAPURAM: Self-styled godman Gangesananda Theethapada, whose prolonged sexual abuse of a law student resulted in her chopping off his penis, has been remanded to judicial custody till June 3. He will remain in the medical college hospital for some more days.
Meanwhile, the girl’s parents have complained to the police that Gangesananda Theethapada had duped them of Rs 40 lakh in the name of land purchases. They also said their car was forcefully taken by him some time ago.
Police said the veracity of the complaint can be ascertained only after a detailed interrogation of the accused. Pettah Police, who are investigating the case said interrogation will be done in the soon.
Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor took to social media and opined that the 23-year-old law student should have gone to the police, instead of chopping the penis.
In his Facebook post, Tharoor said: "My views on the episode in which a young woman cut off the genitals of the man who had been abusing her sexually for years: There is something gratifying about such swift justice but she would have been better off bringing the matter to the police rather than taking the law into her own hands"
"I sympathise with her, as most people would, but we need a society where justice prevails, not one where every individual seeks it with a knife in her hand," he added.
The girl cut off the godman’s penis on Friday night. She told the police that the 53-year-old man had been molesting her since she was a minor. Gangesananda Theerthapada, aka Hari Swami hails from Kolencherry in Ernakulam district.
He was a frequent visitor to the girl's house for the past seven years and the victim told police that she had been abused by the monk since she was a plus-I student.