Yoga teacher held for molestingUS national

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 6

The Rishikesh police have arrested a yoga teacher for allegedly molesting a 28- year-old American woman who had come from New York to learn yoga at the Lakshman Jhula in Rishikesh.

According to the Lakshman Jhula police, the American woman registered a complaint against the yoga teacher for repeatedly molesting her. The accused yoga teacher, Manoj Bhadani, has now been sent to jail. He hails from Nainital. He has been running yoga classes at Lakshman Jhula for quite some time. “The statement of the victim has also been lodged”, said SHO Pradeep Rana of the Lakshman Jhula police station.

In the past couple of years, incidents of molestation involving foreign nationals has increased in Rishikesh, which is a popular hub for tourists.

Tourists from abroad come to learn yoga and naturopathy at the centres located mostly at Rishikesh, Swargashram, Tapovan and Muni Ki Reti.

Cases involving foreign nationals

• On February 11, 2018, a woman from Ireland had filed a rape case 
• In  in an email sent to the DGP in December 2016, a woman from Canada had complained of having been raped
• In November 2016, a Canadian woman had complained about being molested by an auto driver.