Bodh Gaya: Head monk arrested for alleged sexual abuse of children

The international pilgrim town of Bodh Gaya has found itself in the middle of a controversy wherein the head monk of a meditation centre has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing several children who came there for training.

According to Bihar police reports, the child monks have injury marks on their bodies.

The accused has been identified as Bhante Shangpriya Sujay, a resident of Assam. For the past few years, he had been running the meditation centre at Bodh Gaya about 110 km from Patna.

The police said, the children aged between six and 14 years old, most of them belonging to Assam, detailed the abuse they were subjected to at the medication centre while talking to their parents over the phone.

A first information report(FIR) was filed with Bodh Gaya police station, and the statements of the children and their parents have been recorded, the police said. A medical examination of the children will soon ensue.

The complaint stated that the head monk allegedly called the children to his bedroom and sexually abused them, and if they did not obey him, he thrashed them.

Investigations are also being conducted by the police to find out the affiliation and funding of the non-profit group that has been running the meditation centre.

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