Female student recalls ‘godman’ Chaitanyananda Saraswati's sexual harassment: ‘Baby, I love you… you look beautiful’

Female students at Sri Sharada Institute accused self-styled godman Swami Chaitanyananda of sexual harassment and intimidation.

Female students of Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management in Delhi's Vasant Kunj were allegedly forced to visit the quarter of self-styled godman Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati late at night, and one of them was even forced to change her name, the FIR filed against him read.

As probe into the alleged sexual harassment case deepened, a Volvo car with a forged diplomatic number plate was found at the institute's basement. (ANI/PTI)

The FIR was filed after the management of the institute lodged a complaint alleging that during a virtual interaction held with more than 30 female students, several among them revealed instances of sexual harassment and intimidation by Chaitanyananda Saraswati, earlier known as Swami (Dr.) Parthasarathy.

Citing the FIR, officials said students were threatened with suspension and withholding of degrees if they resisted his advances.

One of them, a 21-year-old, who was a scholarship student, said she first interacted with Chaitanyananda last year, The Indian Express reported.

“He was the chancellor… His office was on the ground floor of the building where our classes were held. In my first meeting, he looked at me weirdly and even demotivated me,” the newspaper quoted her saying.

“I sustained an injury… and my senior asked me to share my medical records with him. After I sent my reports, he started sending me inappropriate messages at odd hours.”

The student alleged the messages included, “Baby, I love you. I adore you, you are looking beautiful today”, along with comments about her hair.

“If I did not respond to these messages, then he would tag the message sent earlier and force me to reply,” she added.

The victim further claimed she had informed the associate dean about the harassment. “She said I had to reply since he was the Head. She even said the situation has been previously explained to some senior students.”

'Marks were unnecessarily deducted'

The female student added that when she resisted, notices were issued to her regarding manipulated attendance. “Marks were unnecessarily deducted from my exam papers. In March 2025, Swami got a new BMW car and some of my classmates and I were called for a puja and taken to Rishikesh. On the way back, he kept on passing inappropriate remarks at me and other women,” the victim alleged.

She added that when they returned, three senior women teachers asked her to delete her chats with Chaitanyananda. “After Holi, he called me to his office… he started addressing me as ‘baby’… I told him not to call me that. He then took out his mobile phone and started recording a video, which he sent to me on WhatsApp with a comment saying ‘you are looking beautiful’,” she alleged.

"The students who are from economically weaker sections were forced to visit Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati in his quarter late at night," the FIR read.

Female student was ‘forced to change her name’

The institute's management further alleged that a female student was "forced to change her name" and was made to delete messages from her phone to erase evidence.

Police said a case has been registered at Vasant Kunj North police station, and an investigation is underway.

Police added that multiple teams have been formed to nab the accused, and a lookout circular has also been issued to prevent him from fleeing the country.

Meanwhile, the Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamsthanam Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham in Karnataka's Sringeri, with which Saraswati was associated, has issued a public statement distancing itself from him.

Police said they also found in the institute's basement a Volvo car with a forged diplomatic number plate—39 UN 1—used by Saraswati.

"We have registered two different cases on August 25 -- one for sexual harassment and another for the forged number plate. Our teams are searching for him and we are connecting all the important leads," the officer said.

The case was registered under sections 75(2) (sexual harassment), 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Vasant Kunj North police station.

Saraswati was also aided by three women wardens who would coerce students to give into his demands and also pressure students into deleting the messages sent by him. They have been named as co-accused in the FIR.

The accused has authored 28 books which carry forewords and reviews by prominent personalities.