FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand under POCSO Act

Lucknow (UP) (PTI): An FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari over allegations of sexual abuse of two persons, including a minor over the past year, including during the Magh Mela.

The action follows an order passed earlier in the day by the Special Judge (POCSO Act), Prayagraj, directing registration of a case on an application moved by Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj and others.

According to officials, the FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant sections of the BNS.

Besides Avimukteshwaranand and Mukundanand Brahmachari, two to three unidentified persons have also been named in the complaint.

As per the FIR, the complainants include Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj, a disciple of Swami Rambhadracharya, and two persons -- one of them a minor -- who alleged sexual abuse at a gurukul and during religious congregations, including the Magh Mela.

The complaint alleges that the accused, posing as religious preceptors, subjected the minor and another youth to repeated sexual assault on multiple occasions over the past year.

It further alleges that the acts were carried out under the guise of "guru seva" and by misusing religious authority. The complainants claimed that written representations were earlier submitted to Jhunsi police and senior officials but no FIR was registered, prompting them to approach the court.

Following the court's direction, Jhunsi Police Station registered the FIR late Saturday night and initiated further investigation. There was no immediate police statement on arrests.

Avimukteshwarananda recently hit the headlines for his confrontation with the organisers of the Magh Mela in Prayagraj. He accused the administration of preventing him from taking a bath on Mauni Amavasya.

Responding to the court order on Saturday, Avimukteshwaranand said the case against him was false and that those responsible for the acts alleged must be punished.

He added, however, that facts of the matter would only come to light after a case is filed.

"Therefore, it is necessary. We would like to ask that the court not delay this process for a long time and act at a faster pace, because many people are watching this," he told reporters.