MUMBAI, March 24 -- "Those even remotely linked with the case will not be spared," chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said in the state assembly on Monday, responding to a demand by opposition legislators for a probe against all those-especially politicians and high-ranking government officers-linked to the self-styled godman Ashok Kharat. Kharat was arrested on March 18 following a 27-year-old woman's claim that he had raped her repeatedly over three years, promising to resolve her marital issues. Fadnavis also said that police acted proactively in the rape case by issuing a Look Out Circular (LOC) over a week prior to Kharat's arrest to prevent his escape from the state and country. "The LOC was issued on March 10, based on a complaint from another district. Police succeeded in convincing a few victims to lodge complaints against the controversial godman; a few more are likely to come forward," said Fadnavis, assuring that he will offer a detailed statement on the case in the House in a day or two. Kharat, a numerologist and self-proclaimed expert of cosmology hobnobbed with the rich and powerful. He used his influence to sexually exploit women by claiming to have divine powers. A court has remanded him to police custody until March 24. His arrest also revealed his links with several party leaders, which snowballed into a political controversy. This resulted in the first resignation of Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) chairperson Rupali Chakankar, who appeared to be a follower and was accused of intimidating one of the victims. On Monday, Fadnavis confirmed that several victims fell prey to Kharat's claim of possessing divine powers and were sexually exploited. "Several women were misled and cheated by him in the name of so-called special powers," he said. The chief minister stressed that the case is not a matter of politics, "but a matter of the dignity of women, misusing them by claiming to have special powers and brainwashing them into believing that surrendering before him was their supreme duty". Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Vijay Wadettiwar described the situation as "deeply shameful" in the state assembly. "The flourishing of a fraudulent godman in Maharashtra, which prides itself for its legacy of progressive thought, under political and administrative protection is extremely disgraceful," Wadettiwar said during the proceedings. The Congress leader also claimed that attempts were being made to shield the accused. "It is shocking that three senior officials reportedly held a meeting in a hotel to prevent his arrest. There are also indications that revenue and police officials tried to ensure that action was delayed," he alleged. Demanding a wider probe, he said: "This is not just about one individual. IAS, IPS and revenue officials who extended support to Kharat must be made co-accused. They swore to uphold the Constitution and yet were seen protecting such individuals." He urged that call detail records (CDRs) of all accused and suspected officials be examined. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav spoke in a similar vein. "Leaders from across political parties are also involved in this case. I am not singling out any one party. On one hand, we claim to be progressive, while on the other we worship individuals who degrade people by forcing them to drink urine," he said, referring to a video doing the rounds showing Kharat passing around a glass of urine among his devotees....