Delhi Godman and Three Female Aides Arrested for Sexual Harassment of Students at Management Institute

The police reported that the 62-year-old expressed no regret for his actions.

Three female assistants of Delhi Baba, who has been charged with sexually harassing at least 17 students at a private institution in Delhi, have been taken into custody. These women held various positions at Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management in Vasant Kunj, where the self-proclaimed spiritual leader, Chaitanyananda Saraswati, served as chairman.

Chaitanyananda Saraswati, born Parthasarathy, faced sexual harassment accusations in August. The complaint also implicated these three women for allegedly persuading victims to comply with his demands and remove evidence against him. He was apprehended early Sunday at a hotel in Agra and placed in five-day police custody.

The women, identified as Shweta Sharma (Associate Dean), Bhavna Kapil (Executive Director), and Kajal (Senior Faculty), have been arrested for their involvement in abetment, intimidation, and destruction of evidence in the case.

During questioning, they confessed to operating under the baba's instructions and pressuring students under the guise of maintaining discipline and other pretexts, according to police statements.

Baba Has No Regrets: Cops

Police officials stated that the 62-year-old demonstrated no remorse regarding his conduct.

Following Chaitanyananda's arrest, authorities recovered three mobile phones and an iPad from his possession, including a device that provided him access to CCTV footage of the campus and student residences.

Evidence found on his phone revealed him making inappropriate remarks on yoga photographs of female students.

Authorities have also frozen approximately Rs 8 crore across multiple bank accounts and fixed deposits connected to him.

Chaitanyananda had been outside India since July, returning on August 6. After a case was registered against him, a Lookout Circular (LOC) was issued to prevent him from leaving the country. He reportedly moved between Vrindavan, Mathura, and Agra, utilizing taxis and staying in budget accommodations to evade capture.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), he compelled students to visit his quarters during late hours, sent inappropriate messages at unusual times, and monitored their activities through CCTV feeds.

He and his associates allegedly claimed connections to the Prime Minister's office to gain cooperation while avoiding authorities.

A former student told NDTV that the primary accused had been harassing female students for at least nine years. He would confiscate their phones and isolate them in separate rooms with extra amenities, the student claimed.

"Their phones would be taken away and they would be given expensive phones like those by Blackberry and Apple, so that he would have access to them and chats and messages could be deleted. The students were told not to talk to their family and relatives," said the student who had enrolled in a two-year course in 2016.

He alleged that one of his friends was targeted by Chaitanyananda in 2016.

"Initially, things seemed normal. But then they said she would be sent abroad and to Mathura for an internship. Sending just one person? I have never heard of something like that. She suspected something amiss and was told she would have to leave in three days. She then decided to leave the institute, and I helped her do so," he said.