Nepalese ‘Buddha Boy’ Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Sexual Harassment – ​​2oceansvibe News

(image source: bsds.org)

A Nepalese court on Monday sentenced the so-called “Buddha Boy” to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing a child.

Ram Bahadur Bamjon came to international attention in 2005 when tens of thousands of people came to see the teenage “Buddha Boy” sitting cross-legged under a tree in a dense forest in southeastern Nepal for almost 10 months.

Bamjon’s followers claimed at the time that the teenager had been praying in the jungle all day, without food or water. Some began to believe that he was the reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in Nepal about 2,500 years ago and later became known simply as Buddha, meaning “the enlightened one.”

Bamjon, however, was “jailed” after police arrested him at a house on the outskirts of Kathmandu in January on charges of sexually abusing children. The Sarlahi district court in southern Nepal said a judge also ordered Bamjon, 33, to pay $3,750 in compensation to the victim.

Bomjan began preaching about two years after his forest exploit, drawing an audience of about 3,000 during his first sermon. He and his followers subsequently established a network of ashrams in Nepal dedicated to his teachings.

Bamjon was first arrested in 2020 for sexually abusing an underage girl who was allegedly living as a nun at his ashram in the Bara district, south of the capital Kathmandu.

Acting on a tip-off, police tracked down the 34-year-old on the outskirts of Kathmandu and “arrested him as he tried to flee.” They also seized more than a dozen cellphones, five laptops and tablets, and more than $200,000 in Nepalese and foreign currencies from his home.

At the height of his fame, Bomjan met Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala at the minister’s residence in Baluwatar.

During the meeting, Bomjan assured the prime minister that he was “working for the betterment, enlightenment and liberation of all living beings from an interfaith perspective.”

(source:cnn)