Godman Nithyananda Booked, Two Women Disciples Arrested

Ahmedabad: An FIR was registered against self-styled godman Swami Nithyananda on the charges of alleged kidnapping and wrongful confinement of children to make them collect donations from followers to run his ashram "Yogini Sarvagyapeetham", in Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

Police also arrested Sadhvi Pranpriyananda and Priyatatva Riddhi Kiran, both women disciples of the controversial godman, on charges of allegedly kidnapping at least four children, keeping them in illegal confinement in a flat and using them as child labourers to promote activities of the ashram to collect donations. This ashram was being run in the campus of Delhi Public School, East Ahemdabad.

A police officer said that Sadhvi Pran Priyananda and Priyatatva Riddhi Kiran are responsible for managing the ashram. The accused persons have been booked under sections 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person), 344 (wrongful confinement for ten or more days), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and 502 (sale of printed or engraved substance containing defamatory matter) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They have also been booked under section 14 of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, the police officer said.

Earlier, parents of two minor sisters had accused the Ashram administration of not letting them meet their wards. Their father Janardana Sharma had filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court on Monday claiming that his daughters were "abducted and kept in illegal confinement" for more than two weeks and were deprived of sleep. An FIR was subsequently lodged against the ashram authorities.

"Janardana Sharma also sought direction to authorities to produce his two elder daughters, Lopamudra Sharma (21) and Nandita Sharma (18) before the court," the DSP said.

Sharma alleged that Sarvagyapeetham authorities were not letting him meet his two elder daughters.

Police registered a missing person case about Nandita even though she had conveyed to the police via video messages that she wanted to stay back in the ashram and will produce herself before the court when required.

Role of IAS officer questioned

A senior Congress leader, Shaktisinh Gohil has alleged that an influential IAS officer has played a key role in setting up of the Nithyanand ashram in Ahemdabad. Gohil has said that the IAS officer was ‘protecting’ Nithyanand.

AICC spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil has tweeted, “While @Ahemdabadpolice has done a good job, it is shocking that an IAS officer is protecting #Nithyanand. This IAS officer is Swami’s Bhakt & is hence ‘managing’ for Swami & #DPS. I urge media in #Gujrat to expose this IAS officer for the sake safety of our children.”