An Australian court has sentenced Balesh Dhankhar, , a prominent Indian community leader, to 40 years in prison for orchestrating the systematic sexual assault of five South Korean women.
The former IT consultant, who had been an active figure in establishing the BJP’s satellite group and served as a spokesperson for the Hindu Council of Australia, was found guilty of multiple crimes, including 13 counts of sexual assault, as reported in international media.
Dhankhar,43, hailing from Haryana, India, had once worked as an IT consultant before committing the heinous crimes.
His father, Dhankhar, a retired officer of the Indian Air Force, had also served as a Deputy Superintendent in the Delhi government.
The court at Downing Centre District Court in Australia declared Dhankhar, guilty of planning and executing a series of assaults using fake job advertisements to lure his victims.
The advertisements promised employment opportunities, but once the women responded, Dhankhar drugged them, rendering them unconscious or extremely weakened during the assaults.
Reports revealed that Dhankhar meticulously organised the applicants based on their appearance, intelligence, and beauty on an Excel spreadsheet.
Furthermore, he filmed and recorded these assaults to satisfy his future sexual gratification, storing the footage on his computer.
The victims, aged between 21 and 27, were either unconscious or in a severely compromised state during the incidents.
The convicted community leader’s actions have raised serious concerns about the moral decay of certain individuals within the Indian community. Despite his public profile as a leader, his disturbing actions were shocking to many. In 2023, an Australian court found DhanKher guilty of 39 crimes, which included the 13 sexual assault incidents.
Critics have pointed out the hypocrisy within the political establishment, questioning the BJP and the Modi government’s support for individuals like DhanKher, given their claims of advocating for the protection of women's rights. The involvement of such individuals in leadership roles raises significant doubts about the party's commitment to safeguarding women’s dignity and security.
