Bhanjan claimed to be the reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, and had a large following, especially in Nepal.
The conviction sent shock waves through a community that once held Mr. Bhanjan in high regard.
Ram Bahadur Bhanjan, the controversial spiritual leader known as “Buddha Boy” and who claims to be a reincarnation of Lord Buddha, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor in a case handed down by the Sarahi District Court in southern Nepal.
Banjan was arrested in January after police investigated allegations of sexual assault and his possible involvement in the disappearances of several followers. A court convicted Banjan of sexually assaulting an underage girl, but the allegations related to the disappearances remain under investigation.
Bhanjan claimed to be the reincarnation of Buddhism’s founder, Siddhartha Gautama, and had a large following, particularly in Nepal, but his image was cast in a dark shadow by allegations of sexual abuse and followers disappearing from his camps.
In action against “Buddha Boy,” police searched his house on the outskirts of Kathmandu and arrested him after he tried to escape by jumping from the second floor to evade arrest.
At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of $227,000 worth of Nepali currency and $23,000 worth of other foreign currencies, police said.
The conviction sent shock waves through a community that once held Bhanjan in high esteem. Although his popularity has declined in recent years amid growing criticism of him, he continued to run camps for devotees in southern Nepal even after some Buddhist scholars expressed skepticism about his claims.
