Maharashtra Gurukul Head Arrested for Sexual Assault on Minor Student: POCSO Case Filed

Bhagwan Kokare Maharaj has been taken into custody following serious allegations.

A minor female student has accused the head of a Gurukul in Maharashtra and a teacher of sexual assault on campus. Bhagwan Kokare Maharaj, who leads the Warkari Gurukul in Ratnagiri district, along with teacher Pritesh Prabhakar Kadam, face molestation charges. Authorities have registered a case against both individuals.

The Gurukul attracts students from various regions of Maharashtra seeking spiritual education. The victim enrolled on June 12, and while her first eight days passed without incident, she reports that Kokare subsequently began assaulting her.

According to the victim's statement, "Whenever I was alone in the room, he would walk in, punch me, and touch my chest." This marked the beginning of the reported sexual misconduct.

The victim alleges she was intimidated into silence through threats. "Pritesh Prabhakar Kadam warned me against speaking out, cautioning that Kokare's contacts and connections could be leveraged to implicate my father, and kill me and my brother. I was told I would be barred from pursuing my education," she revealed.

On Monday, the girl finally disclosed the situation to her father, leading to the filing of a police complaint. The case has been registered under sections 12 and 17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which address sexual harassment and abetment of sexual offences against children.

Both accused individuals have been arrested and placed in two-day police custody.

Bhaskar Jadhav, an MLA from the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, has expressed concern that additional girls may have experienced similar abuse. The Shiv Sena leader also indicated his intention to expose politicians associated with Kokare who had visited him.