'Unbelievable': Oppn Leaders Raise Suspicion After Godman Kharat's Close Aide Dies In Car Crash

Last Updated:April 19, 2026, 14:11 IST

Self-styled godman Ashok Kharat's close aide Jitendra Shelke and his wife died when their car rammed into a parked container in the Samruddhi controversy.

Opposition leaders in Maharashtra raised suspicion after Nashik-based self-styled godman Ashok Kharat’s close aide Jitendra Shelke, 55, and his wife Anuradha died in a crash on Friday, calling it “unbelievable" and suggesting that it was orchestrated.

The incident occurred when the car they were travelling in from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to Shirdi rammed into a parked container near Dhotre village on the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district. The accident took place weeks after Kharat was arrested by Nashik police in March after a married woman accused him of repeatedly raping her over three years.

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said the accidental death of Jitendra Shelke, the vice-president of Kharat’s Shivnika Sansthan, was shocking. “One wonders whether the accident was orchestrated to ensure certain facts about Kharat do not come out. A detailed investigation must be conducted," he added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare termed the incident “unbelievable", adding there were apprehensions for days that there could be threats to those linked to the Kharat case. “If the SIT does not expedite the probe, doubts will only deepen. This raises serious questions on the system," she said.

Social Activist Anjali Damania pointed out that Shelke was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the rape and fraud accusations against Kharat, saying his death a few days later “cannot be merely an accident."

Shelke’s 14-year-old son sustained serious injuries in the accident and is undergoing treatment in a hospital. A case of accidental death was registered at Kopargaon police station.

Where Is Ashok Kharat Now?

Kharat was arrested on March 18 in connection with the rape allegations and sent to a Nashik jail. The ED filed a criminal case against Kharat under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on April 6 on the charges of extortion, religious manipulation and drug-facilitated assault on multiple women.

A court in Nashik sent him to judicial custody till April 30 in a fourth case of sexually assaulting and exploiting a woman. He will be sent to the Nashik Road Central Jail. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) will produce Kharat in a court on Sunday again and seek his police custody in the fifth case of sexually assaulting a woman.

The case has sparked political controversy in Maharashtra, as photos of Kharat with prominent politicians and alleged videos of his criminal acts involving women have been widely circulated online.

(with PTI inputs)

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