The incident occurred on Friday at the woman's residence in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, when Swami Gangeshananda Teethapadam, alias Hari Swami, allegedly tried to rape the 23 year old .
According to police complaint filed by the woman soon after the incident, she had been a victim of repeated rape at her residence by this man since she was 16 years old.
The complaint also states that her parents were the followers of Chattambi Swami Ashram in Kollam district in Kerala, and that the accused was a member of the Ashram. However, the ashram authorities have denied this.
He was rushed to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College hospital after the incident.
"A 54-year-old man from Kollam was admitted at 12.39am to the hospital on Saturday. His penis had been cut (90%) and was hanging precariously. There was no way it could be stitched back," the hospital said in a statement.
The Kerala Chief Minister has called the woman's action as a courageous step.
The alleged rapist was a regular visitor of the victim's residence in Thiruvananthapuram district to offer prayers for the ailment of her paralyzed father. It was during these visits that he used to molest the woman, local media reports. Being aware of his visit on Friday night, she was reported to have been prepared with a knife to chop off his penis.
"She knew that no one would believe her if she said she had been sexually assaulted by a man of god. So, this was perhaps the only thing she could think of," the police told to NewsMinute after the primary investigation.
Police have charged the alleged rapist under Section 376 (Rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POSCO).
