FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand under POCSO Act
Lucknow (UP) (PTI): An FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari over allegations of sexual abuse of two persons, including a minor over the past year, including during the Magh Mela.
The action was taken on Saturday after an order passed earlier in the day by the Special Judge (POCSO Act), Prayagraj, directed that a case be registered on an application moved by Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj and others.
According to officials, the FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant sections of the BNS.
Besides Avimukteshwaranand and Mukundanand Brahmachari, two to three unidentified persons have also been named in the complaint.
As per the FIR, the complainants include Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj, a disciple of Swami Rambhadracharya, and two persons -- one of them a minor -- who alleged sexual abuse at a gurukul and during religious congregations, including the Magh Mela.
The complaint alleges that the accused, posing as religious preceptors, subjected the minor and another youth to repeated sexual assault on multiple occasions over the past year.
It further alleges that the acts were carried out under the guise of "guru seva" and by misusing religious authority. The complainants claimed that written representations were earlier submitted to Jhunsi police and senior officials but no FIR was registered, prompting them to approach the court.
Following the court's direction, Jhunsi Police Station registered the FIR late Saturday night and initiated further investigation. There was no immediate police statement on arrests.
Avimukteshwarananda recently hit the headlines for his confrontation with the organisers of the Magh Mela in Prayagraj. He accused the administration of preventing him from taking a bath on Mauni Amavasya.
Responding to the court order on Saturday, Avimukteshwaranand said the case against him was false and that those responsible for the acts alleged must be punished.
He added, however, that facts of the matter would only come to light after a case is filed.
"Therefore, it is necessary. We would like to ask that the court not delay this process for a long time and act at a faster pace, because many people are watching this," he told reporters.
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4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
