Sexual harassment: 'Godman' taken to Delhi campus to point out crime scenes; aide who threatened par
New Delhi (PTI): Chaitanyanand Saraswati, a self-styled godman accused of sexually harassing 17 female students at a private institute here, was taken to its campus on Monday for pointing out locations where he allegedly used to call his victims, police said.
An associate of Saraswati, 38-year-old Hari Singh Kopkoti of Bageshwar in Uttarakhand, was also arrested for allegedly threatening the father of one of the victims on September 14.
Saraswati, 62, was arrested early Sunday from a hotel in Agra and brought to the campus where he had earlier served as chairman.
"... The accused was taken to the institute to point out the places, particularly his office and room where he stayed and used to call female students to meet him. A search was conducted to collect incriminating evidence, if any," a police officer said.
He was asked about CCTVs on the campus and hostels, and cameras outside hostel bathrooms as well, whose footage was directly accessible on one of the mobile phones recovered from him, he said.
Meanwhile, Kopkoti, who earns his livelihood through municipal work, admitted during interrogation that he had made the call at Saraswati's instructions using his own phone, and asked the complainant's father to withdraw the complaint, the officer said.
He told police that he had come in contact with Saraswati last year, when he visited Delhi with an acquaintance, who was already known to the accused.
The mobile phone used for the call was seized, and Kopkoti was bound down under sections 232 (Threatening any person to give false evidence) and 351(2) (Criminal intimidation) and released, police said.
Saraswati was remanded to five-day police custody on Sunday.
He is expected to be confronted with his three female aides working in different positions at the AICTE-approved Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management, the institute at the heart of the matter.
The three women are accused of threatening students and forcing them to delete lewd messages sent by him.
Police said Saraswati had been abroad since July, returning to India on August 6.
After he was booked, a Lookout Circular (LOC) was issued to prevent him from leaving the country.
While avoiding arrest, he reportedly shuttled between Vrindavan, Mathura, and Agra, using taxis and staying in budget hotels.
He and his aides allegedly claimed links to the Prime Minister’s Office to secure cooperation while evading authorities.
Three mobile phones and an iPad were recovered from him, including a phone that gave him access to CCTV footage of the campus and hostels. Authorities have also frozen about Rs 8 crore in multiple bank accounts and fixed deposits linked to him.
According to the FIR, he forced female students to visit his quarters late at night, sent inappropriate messages at odd hours, and monitored their movements via CCTV feeds.
The Sringeri Sharada Peetham, which administers the institute through a governing council, had earlier ordered a comprehensive audit of SRISIIM by independent experts.
The audit, it claimed, flagged several irregularities and illegalities, including fraud, forgery, cheating, and criminal breach of trust allegedly involving Saraswati and his associates.
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Karnataka tanks hold strong water storage: Minister Boseraju
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister N S Boseraju on Tuesday said that minor irrigation tanks across the state are holding good water storage levels, with the 3,788 tanks under the department’s jurisdiction providing life-sustaining water to a large agricultural command area of approximately 4,45,009 hectares.
In a statement, the Minister for Minor Irrigation, Boseraju, said that according to the latest data released by the department, a vast majority of the 3,788 minor irrigation tanks in the state have maintained good water levels.
Detailing the storage status, the report said that even in peak summer, 165 tanks are full.
Additionally, 1,355 tanks have retained more than 51 per cent capacity, 1,143 tanks have water levels up to 50 per cent, and 959 tanks are at roughly 30 per cent storage capacity.
District-wise, Davanagere leads the state in water storage, with 27 tanks remaining full even during summer. Chikkamagaluru follows closely with 46 full tanks, indicating strong water retention.
Other top-performing districts include Hassan, Tumakuru, and Kolar.
Boseraju, who also holds the portfolio of Science and Technology, said 1,184 tanks are being actively filled through 145 tank-filling lift irrigation projects under the Minor Irrigation Department.
He attributed the strong water retention to good monsoon rainfall and effective water management strategies of the government.
“It is encouraging to see such a substantial volume of water stored across our minor irrigation tanks by the end of March, remaining largely intact even as summer progresses. The fact that 1,355 tanks are nearly full and 165 tanks are brimming is a testament to the success of our tank-filling programmes and rejuvenation initiatives,” he said.
“By ensuring a continuous flow of water to these tanks through lift irrigation projects across departments, as well as supplying treated and surface water to the Bayaluseeme districts, we have taken proactive measures to prevent them from drying out during the summer,” the minister said.
According to him, these data points confirm that efforts to build a water-secure Karnataka are yielding strong results at the grassroots level.
“This water wealth preserved in our tanks will bring direct benefits to lakhs of farmers across the 4,45,009-hectare command area,” he added.
