- Complaints from an alumnus and Air Force triggered probe into Chaitanyananda Saraswati's misconduct
- Sri Sharada Institute received harassment allegations on July 31 and an Air Force email on August 1
- Institute filed police complaint with 300 pages of evidence and formed a new governing council
As Delhi Police goes all out to track down Chaitanyananda Saraswati, accused of sexually harassing students of a management institute, the probe has revealed that back-to-back complaints from an alumnus and the Air Force headquarters alerted the management and started the undoing of the self-styled godman.
According to the FIR, it was a letter from an alumnus that first alerted the management of Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management-Research, located in Delhi's Vasant Kunj. Chaitanyananda Saraswati (62), also known as Parthasarathy, was the director of the institute.
In her letter to the institute's management, a woman who had completed her studies there alleged that Chaitanyananda had been sexually harassing students at the institute. The institute received this letter on July 31.
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The next day, the institute received an email from a Group Captain rank officer in the Directorate of Education in the Air Force. This email flagged complaints by several students, who accused Chaitanyananda of threatening them and sending offensive messages. The Air Force directorate intervened because many of the students at the institute came from families of Air Force personnel.
The institute, alerted by the two mails, approached the police and filed a complaint against Chaitanyananda. The management also submitted 300 pages of evidence against the self-styled godman. The police then recorded the statements of students, and an FIR was registered. The institute revoked Chaitanyananda's power of attorney and formed a new governing council of 11 members.
In fact, even before the sexual harassment allegations came to the fore, the institute filed a complaint against Chaitanyananda, accusing him of fraud, forgery, cheating and criminal breach of trust.
On August 3, the new council spoke to 30 women students virtually, and shocking allegations against Chaitanyananda came to the fore. It is alleged that students from underprivileged families were forced to visit the self-styled godman at night. He allegedly sent students lewd messages and threatened them that their academic documents and degrees would be withheld if they did not respond to his advances.
The students also alleged that cameras are installed in the ladies' hostel on the pretext of security and that they were forced to accompany Chaitanyananda on foreign trips.
The students accused the institute's associate dean and some others of forcing students to entertain Chaitanyananda's overtures. Three staff members of the institute have been named as co-accused. The FIR said a "grave sense of fear" has gripped the students and that they are scared for their lives.
The self-styled godman is now on the run. Police have issued a lookout circular to prevent him from fleeing the country. The Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamsthanam Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham in Karnataka's Sringeri, which Chaitanyanda was associated with, has distanced itself from him.
"The public is hereby informed that Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, formerly known as Swami (Dr.) Parthasarathy has engaged in activities that are illegal, inappropriate, and detrimental to the interests of Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamsthanam Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri (Peetham). As a result, the Peetham has severed all ties with him," a statement said.
