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 43-year-old former IT consultant, originally from Haryana, India, was convicted of multiple crimes, including 13 counts of sexual assault. Dhankhar had been actively involved in establishing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) satellite group in Australia and served as a spokesperson for the Hindu Council of Australia.
The Downing Centre District Court found Dhankhar guilty of luring his victims through fake job advertisements that promised employment opportunities. Once the women responded, he drugged them, leaving them unconscious or severely weakened before assaulting them.
Investigations revealed that Dhankhar meticulously organized applicants based on their appearance, intelligence, and beauty in an Excel spreadsheet. He also filmed and recorded the assaults, storing the footage on his computer for future gratification.
The victims, aged between 21 and 27, were unaware of the attacks at the time, highlighting the premeditated and calculated nature of his crimes.
Dhankhar’s sentencing has sparked outrage, raising concerns about the moral integrity of some figures within the Indian diaspora. His conviction in 2023 on 39 charges, including 13 counts of sexual assault, shocked many who once saw him as a respected leader.
Critics have also questioned the BJP and the Modi government’s association with figures like Dhankhar, pointing to the contradiction between their public stance on women’s rights and their past support for individuals now convicted of such heinous crimes.
