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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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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