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Nepalese court sentences 'Buddha Boy' in sexual assault case

by VOA News

   The "Buddha Boy," thought by some to be the reincarnation of the
   Buddha, was sentenced by a Nepalese court to 10 years in prison Monday
   for sexually assaulting an underage girl, according to a court
   official.

   Ram Bahadur Bamjan was also ordered to pay the victim around $3,700, in
   compensation, according to court official Sikinder Kaapar.

   Bamjan attracted international attention as a teenager in 2005 when
   tens of thousands of people calling him the "Buddha Boy" visited him as
   he sat cross-legged, motionless in a Nepalese forest for almost 10
   months without water, food or sleep.

   Many believed he was the reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, the
   founder of Buddhism, who was born around 2,600 years ago. Buddhist
   scholars remain skeptical.

   Bamjan was arrested on the outskirts of Kathmandu in January and
   convicted last week. Dilip Kumar Jha, his lawyer, said Bamjan would
   appeal the sentence. He has 70 days to do so.

   According to police, around $227,000 in Nepalese banknotes and $23,000
   in other currencies were taken during the arrest.

   Bamjan also is suspected of being involved in the disappearance of four
   of his followers. Those chargers are still pending.

   With the sexual and physical assault accusations, Bamjan's popularity
   has diminished, but he continues to have camps where thousands gather
   to worship or live.

   Some material for this report is from Reuters, The Associated Press and
   Agence France-Presse.

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