Asaram Bapu threatened me, says teen who has alleged sexual assault

Amid shock and outrage over the gang-rape of a young photographer in Mumbai, sexual violence and the safety of women was raised in Parliament today.  

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde stumped many by referring with reverence and respect to "Asaram Bapu ji," a man who is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old. Her statement to the police, accessed by NDTV, says that the 72-year-old spiritual guru threatened to hurt her and her family if she reported the crime.

Mr Shinde's response came after politician Sharad Yadav asked him to explain what action the government is taking in the case of the spiritual leader.

In Rajasthan's capital of Jaipur today, women activists held a demonstration demanding his arrest.

The teen says she was assaulted by Asaram Bapu, who has a vast following, earlier this month at his ashram in Jodhpur, one of many his organization runs around the country. Her police statement shares, "Before leaving the room, he again threatened me that he will cause a lot of harm to my parents, if I talk about this with anyone or to my parents."

Asaram Bapu has denied the charges, admitting only to knowing and meeting the girl as the daughter of long-term disciples. He has been given four days to appear for interrogation in Jodhpur, but at his ashram in Indore in Madhya Pradesh today, he appeared unfazed. "She is blameless and pure," he said. "Her parents are my disciples, that makes her my grand-daughter."

Highlights of Narendra Modi's political career

Here is a look at the rise of Narendra Modi and his political career.

September 17, 1950

Narendra Damodardas Modi is born in the ancient city of Vadnagar in present-day Gujarat into a Hindu family. As a youth, he worked in his family's tea stall, according to a biography.

1987

Modi joins the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the fledgling party taps into the growth of Hindu nationalism across India. The BJP wins a majority in Gujarat in 1995 and Modi quickly rises up the ranks.

2001

Modi gets his big break when Keshubhai Patel steps down as Gujarat chief minister in the wake of the January earthquake that killed thousands of people. Modi is selected as Patel's replacement and has remained in power ever since, becoming Gujarat's longest-serving chief minister.

February 27, 2002

Riots break out after 59 passengers, mostly Hindu pilgrims, die in a train fire in the town of Godhra in Gujarat. At least 1,000 people, mainly Muslims, are killed. Modi, as chief minister, is accused by critics of not doing enough to stem the riots and even quietly encouraging them -- allegations he has strongly denied and which have never been proved. In 2012, one of Modi's former ministers, Maya Kodnani, is sentenced to 28 years in prison alongside 30 others for their role in the riots.

2005

Washington denies Modi a travel visa for religious intolerance, causing uproar in India.

October 2008

Modi persuades Tata Motors to move its factory to build its low-cost Nano car to Gujarat from West Bengal after protests from farmers over land compensation, a sign of his business-friendly approach to politics.

February 2012

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has been appointed by India's Supreme Court, says investigators found no evidence against Modi in a 2002 riots case.

August 31, 2012

Modi addresses a number of topics during an online web cam chat which draws questions from around India and across the world. A media-savvy politician, Modi is an avid Twitter user with more than 1.86 million followers (as on July 11, 2013).

October 22, 2012

British High Commissioner James Bevan sits down with Modi to discuss business and investment in a landmark meeting that ends the UK's 10-year diplomatic boycott after three British citizens were killed in the 2002 riots.

December 20, 2012

Narendra Modi wins a third successive term as chief minister of Gujarat, with the BJP getting 115 of the state assembly's 182 seats against 61 for the Congress. The BJP also won four assembly seats in by-elections held in 2013.

January 7, 2013

European Union ambassadors have lunch with Modi at the German ambassador's residence in New Delhi, ending a decade-old informal boycott of the political leader.

June 9, 2013

Modi is chosen to head the BJP's campaign in general elections due in 2014, a position that could make him the party's candidate for prime minister. A day later, rival leader Lal Krishna Advani resigns from BJP posts, exposing deep rifts in the party. Advani backtracks later that week.