[1]Amethi: Apparently peeved at the allegations against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, a 50-year-old sadhu chopped off his genitals in Madhavpur village here, police said on Thursday.
"I am not a follower of Asaram but I am peeved with such allegations against a saint. These allegations are a blot on the fraternity of saints," police sources quoted Sant Baba Premdas of Udaseen Math as having said after his extreme act. He was rushed to a hospital late Wednesday after he inflicted the injury on himself, police said.
Police added that he has now been referred to Sultanpur for treatment. He has been hospitalised for plastic surgery and is in a stable condition, Amethi police official Mahendra Singh told AFP. Police said the wounds appeared to be self-inflicted, but they planned to question Premdas.
"Why he did it is not clear. Some say it was because of Bapu's arrest, some say it was because he feared ending up in Bapu's situation. No one knows," said Alankrita Singh, chief of police of the city of Amethi.
Since Asaram's arrest over accusations the 72-year-old sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl at a religious retreat, hundreds of his supporters have protested outside the Jodhpur Central jail where he is being held and blocked railway lines.
Asaram has dismissed the case against him as a political conspiracy.
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