Murmurs & distrust erupt in village where rape-accused astrologer built a temple, residents want special sabha to discuss his actions

Nashik: The usually quiet village of Mirgaon has erupted in murmurs and mistrust as villagers demand a special gram sabha over the storm surrounding astrologer Ashok Kumar Kharat, the man who built the massive Shree Ishaneshwar temple under the banner of Sri Shivnika Sansthan.Many now want answers: Has the astrologer who once walked their soil as a mere weekend visitor used his political clout to divert funds meant for the gram panchayat into his own trust?Though the villagers remain cautious, wary of the surge of media crews and police personnel descending on their fields, there is an unmistakable unrest. The questions are piling up, and so is the resentment. "There are too many doubts about Kharat," villager Bhimraj Shelke, his voice low but firm, said. "How much land has he grabbed here? Did he twist arms to buy it? And how was he getting his own separate water supply for the temple when the rest of us struggle?" he asked.Another villager echoed the sentiment, lamenting that Kharat's actions dragged Mirgaon's name through the mud, despite the fact that no one in the village ever sought his predictions or counted among his elite clientele. To them, he was a figure who remained detached from village life, too engrossed in his high-profile visitors and spiritual empire.Most residents recall seeing him only on weekends. His temple and bungalow, tucked away from the main settlement, created a world of their own. So discreet was the flow of VIPs that villagers often learned only later that a state or union minister had come and gone."Kharat isn't even from Mirgaon," one villager said. He hails from Kahandalwadi, just a few kilometres away. Since building the temple in 2009, he allegedly amassed more than 50 acres of land around Mirgaon, the villager said. "We suspect he forced people to sell. All of this must be investigated," another villager, Balu Shelke, said.Taking into account the villagers' sentiments, deputy sarpanch of the village Sunil Hinge said he spoke to the sarpanch and the gram sevak about the demand of the villagers for the special gram sabha. "The gram sabha will be held anytime between Wednesday and Friday," he told TOI.The village, nestled 70km from Nashik, just a short drive from Shirdi, has always been a picture of rural calm. A village of 2,500 progressive farmers growing soybeans, corn, onions and wheat, it rarely found itself in the spotlight. For years, the villagers said they barely registered Kharat's presence.