India, March 28 -- As victims of self-styled godman Ashok Kharat step forward with allegations of rape and sexual abuse, the case has encouraged other survivers to speak up about similar incidents. The Manikpur police on Thursday registered a rape case against Rishikesh Vaidya, a self-proclaimed spiritual guru from Vasai, for sexually assaulting a woman, claiming he was an avatar of Lord Shiva between 2023 and 2025.

The survivor, a 35-year-old resident of Pune, told the Manikpur police that she came to know Vaidya as the head of the organization 'Aamchi Vasai' (Our Vasai) through Facebook in 2023. The police said that Vaidya exploited her religious nature and got close to her under the pretext of imparting spiritual teachings.

In Decemb...