Lived in constant fear: Victim’s father

Shahira Naim 

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, April 25

Expressing happiness at the verdict against Asaram, the father of rape survivor who brought charges against the so-called godman in 2013 said the long trial had been a test of his family’s patience.

Speaking to reporters at his Shahjahanpur residence, the father, who owes a transport business, said he had always had faith in the judicial system. However, he said the struggles during the trial period had tested the family’s grit and patience. Kirpal Singh, a key witness in the case had been shot dead allegedly by Asaram’s henchmen in Shahjahanpur in July 2015. Speaking to the media after Singh’s death, the rape survivor had said she and her family would not buckle down under such threats.  

Earlier, on August 20, 2013, the rape survivor’s father had filed rape charges against Asaram. “We had been living in constant terror and our business had been adversely hit. For the last four months my family members had virtually not been coming out of the house. The verdict is gratifying,” said the father.