A spiritual leader in Nepal known as “Buddha Boy” was sentenced on the 1st of July to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a minor, the Associated Press reported, citing a court statement.
The Sarlahi District Court ordered convicted Ram Bahdur Bamjan, considered by some to be the reincarnation of the founder of Buddhism, also pay $3,700 to the victim.
The man has 70 days to appeal the court’s decision, court spokesman Sadan Adhikari said for AP.
In January, police arrested Bamjan in a suburb of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, on charges of sexual assault and suspected complicity in the disappearance of at least four of his followers. During the arrest, Nepalese rupee notes worth $227,000 and other foreign currencies worth a total of $23,000 were seized from him, police said.
A number of Nepalese believe that Bamjan is a reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, born in southwestern Nepal about 2,600 years ago and revered as the Buddha. Scholars involved in the study of Buddhism, however, are skeptical of the claims.
Bamjan became popular in southern Nepal in 2005.
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