Godman used threats, foreign trip promises to exploit EWS women; 3 wardens under lens
New Delhi (PTI): The self-styled godman on the run after allegedly sexually assaulting several female students of a management institute here, allegedly pressured them with threats of lower grades and lured them with promises of foreign trips, an officer said on Wednesday.
Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati alias Parthsarthy, who has been booked in five cases, including a molestation case each from 2009 and 2016, has been absconding since August 4, when he was booked at the Vasant Kunj North Police Station.
Three women wardens, who allegedly aided him in pressuring the victims, have also been named in the FIR.
According to an officer, the investigation has so far revealed that Saraswati targeted women who got admission under the EWS quota, and sent them explicit messages on social media and SMS.
Some of these messages read: "Come to my room," "I will take you abroad on a trip, You won't have to pay anything" and "If you do not listen to me, I will make sure you fail in your exams."
Police said he would summon female students to his room late at night and threaten them with low grades when they resisted.
Till now, investigators have examined phones of more than 50 students, and many of them were found to have deleted the incriminating chats, the officer said.
The wardens named in the FIR allegedly forced these students to delete the chats and comply with the demands of Saraswati, a sanchalak (member of the management committee) at the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management -- an institute approved by the All India Council for Technical Education.
"Their role is currently under investigation and the full extent of their involvement will be determined once Saraswati is apprehended," the officer said about the three wardens.
Police have recorded the statements of 32 female PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) students enrolled under the EWS scholarship at the institute.
Of these women, 17 alleged that Saraswati used abusive language, sent explicit messages, and made unwanted physical advances.
Some CCTV footage is also suspected to have been deleted. Digital Video Recorders, Network Video Recorders, and hard disks from the institute have been sent to the Forensic Lab for examination.
Sixteen victims have so far made their deposition before a magistrate.
Police said several teams have been formed to track Saraswati and a strict vigil has been mounted at airports to prevent him from fleeing the country.
A source claimed that his last location was found to be in Agra.
According to the police statement, Saraswati was booked under sections 75(2) (sexual harassment), 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Several houses linked with the godman have been raided.
Meanwhile, the Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamsthanam Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri, with which Saraswati was earlier associated, issued a public statement distancing itself from him.
The Peetham has also lodged complaints regarding illegal acts committed by Saraswati, it said.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
