Recently, a US national who visited India on a trip fought a man alleging himself to be a godman on August 23, who apparently attempted to sexually harass her, according to local media reports.
The incident occurred in the town of Tiruvannamalai, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on Sunday. The woman paid a visit to Tiruvannamalai in March and was planning her return after visiting the Sri Ramana Ashram (shrine).
However, she was left there without no means due to the coronavirus lockdown. She extended her visa and rented a house in the area, according to Indian media reports.
On Sunday, when the woman was outdoors, the accused, described to be in saffron clothes, approached her, pushed her inside and reportedly attempted to rape her, according to media outlets.
However, the woman who was trained in martial arts got the better of the attacker and fought back with all her might. She raised an alarm and with the help of some locals, caught hold of the accused and was thrashed by the mob and handed over to the local police.
A self-styled Godman in #TamilNadu's Tiruvannamalai district was thrashed by a mob after he allegedly tried to sexually assault a foreigner. According to the local police, the man entered the apartment of a woman from the United States.@PramodMadhav6 with details pic.twitter.com/uTltUPK6fm
— Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) August 24, 2020
The man, identified as Manikandan, is a resident of the Namakkal district and was roaming around the temple town pretending to be a priest “attempted to sexually assault” the woman, a senior police official was quoted as saying.
“We are questioning him, investigation is going on and nothing more could be divulged now,” he added.
The accused who claims to have gone around across several spiritual retreats across the country had come to Tiruvannamalai earlier this year and was living on donations from pilgrims visiting the temple town, Indian media reported.
Tiruvannamalai is a Hindu pilgrimage town at the foot of Arunachala Hill.