Self-styled godman still on the run

Self-styled godman Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, accused of sexually harassing 17 girl students at a private management institute in South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area, continues to be on the run.

A new complaint emerged against Saraswati. A female student lodged a complaint against Saraswati in 2016, accusing him of molestation. She alleged that ‘Baba’ sent her obscene text messages and addressed her with inappropriate terms such as “baby” and “sweet girl.”

According to her statement in the complaint, the woman said: “It was the most difficult period of my life. As soon as I joined the institute, Baba started sending me obscene messages. He called me ‘baby’ and ‘sweet girl’.”

The victim mentioned that she dropped out of the institution in just eight months. Recalling her stay, she said, “After classes ended at 6:30 pm, he would call me to his office and harass me. He used to say that I was very talented, and that he would take me to Dubai for studies and bear all her expenses. I did not want this all, but his staff kept pressuring me.”

The student further stated in the FIR that Saraswati snatched her mobile phone and forced her to stay alone in the hostel. She was not allowed to talk to anyone on the campus.

“He would call me at night on the hostel landline in my room. He had a vulture-like eye on me. He used to talk about taking me out for dinner and staying in good hotels. I was very scared,” the complainant added.

On her escape, the victim in her statement said, “He told me to come with him to Mathura, but I refused. Without telling anyone, I ran away from the hostel leaving behind all my belongings. I stopped attending classes, but he did not stop following me. Students associated with him approached me and started pressuring me to return. Baba gave them my phone number and address. Later, my father chased them away.”

In the current case, 17 women jointly lodged complaints in Delhi in early August.