AUSTIN ,TX, March 4: A Hays County jury on Friday found the spiritual leader of Barsana Dham guilty of molesting two young girls who grew up at the ashram south of Austin in the mid-1990s. Prakashanand Saraswati, known to his devotees as Shree Swamiji, was convicted of all 20 counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact. The jury of eight men and four women returned its guilty verdict after deliberating for less than two hours.<\/p>\n
In the few instances in which the children told an adult of the incidents, the accusers claimed, they were instructed that the touching had a higher purpose. ‘I was told it was a test and if I failed it I would go to hell,’ Rose said. The other women said they were told the guru was gracing them.<\/p>\n
The dramatically differing testimonies from Prakashanand’s followers and the women who profess to have been touched left jurors with the task of finding the truth. Each side struggled with proving or disproving a case based on incidents alleged to have occurred 15 years earlier. ‘In the end,’ the district attorney said, ‘this case is real simple. Either you believe these girls or you don’t.’<\/p>\n
Jurors will reconvene on Monday to decide on a sentence.<\/p>\n