Balesh Singh Dhankhar, a blue eyed boy of Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi and face of BJP politics in Australia was sentenced to 40 years in Jail with a non-parole period of 30 years by an Australian court after hearing the case of multiple rapes and sexual assault of six Korean girls after drugging. The case has sparked widespread condemnation, with community organisations responding to the verdict.
In jailing Dhankhar, Judge of Downing Street District Court, Michael King said “the offender’s conduct was premeditated, elaborately executed, manipulative and highly predatory.” All the women aged between 21 and 27 were either unconscious or significantly impaired at the time of abuse.
Key Points
- Balesh Dhankhar was sentenced to 40 years imprisonment for drugging and assaulting five women.
- He used fake job ads to lure victims, then drugged, assaulted, and recorded them.
- His own videos and records secured his conviction despite victims remembering little.
- Found guilty on 39 counts, he used deception, drugging, and covert recording over nine months.
- Dhankhar used fake job ads for Korean interpreters to lure his victims.
- The NSW District Court found that he then manipulated them into attending his apartment, where he drugged and assaulted them.
Balesh gained popularity when he as President of Friends of BJP was in the forefront to welcome Narendra Modi on his visit to Australia in late 2014 along with his deputy Rahul Jethi. Both the leaders organised media conferences to facilitate Modi. Balesh along with former HCA president Nihal Agar visited Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi. Incidentally, Balesh shares his family name with Vice President of India, Mr Jagdeep Dhankar.
