A young woman who narrowly avoided getting admission at self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati, now under arrest for alleged sexual harassment and intimidation of students, has come forward with her account of what she describes as a troubling encounter. Speaking to NDTV, the student recounted how she was nearly drawn into his institution last year but ultimately declined, a decision she now calls a matter of “luck.”
Her testimony adds to the list of women who have accused the 62-year-old godman of sexual harassment at a Delhi-based management institute.
The student said she first approached Chaitanyananda’s institute in October last year, carrying her academic documents in the hope of securing admission. According to her, Chaitanyananda personally assured her of an “internship opportunity” with financial support and claimed that the institute offered digitalised learning platforms and career prospects abroad.
“He told me that I could come here and do an internship, and for that they will also pay me,” she recalled. “He said all our things are digitalised here, there are good opportunities for you. Then Baba ji said that he trains IPS officers. He made it sound like he had authority and influence.”
While she could not verify these claims, she said Chaitanyananda presented them as facts.
Pressure Tactics
The girl explained that what immediately unsettled her was the institute’s insistence on same-day decisions.
“They do not give you time to think so much,” she said. “On the same day they will ask, on the same day they will say that your admission should be confirmed. I wanted one or two days to decide, but they did not allow it. My parents said, why are they not giving time to think? That raised their doubts.”
The family decided she should not enroll. Looking back, she says the decision spared her. “I was lucky I didn’t fall into Baba’s trap.”
The student described another moment that made her wary. Chaitanyananda allegedly told her and others present that a girl had once “tried to seduce him,” and because he rejected her, the police were now harassing her on that girl’s behalf.
“I found it very strange,” she said. “I had just come here to talk about studies. Why would he say such a thing in front of me? It made me uncomfortable. My parents also found it odd.”
“He already puts something in your mind that in the future if he harasses you, you will be afraid to take action because the police will be against you,” she added.
Wider Network
The student said she first met Chaitanyananda through his personal assistant, not directly. The assistant, she alleged, played a key role in influencing prospective students.
“He has a whole team, which may be in the ashram, there may be other people involved,” she said. “They influence in such a way that the other person will be completely convinced that it is a very good opportunity, that they get students internships abroad, even MBAs.”
She added that Chaitanyananda maintained multiple ashrams and frequently moved between locations, including visiting areas near her home.
The Case Against Chaitanyananda
Her account comes as investigators deepen their probe into Chaitanyananda, accused of sexually harassing at least 17 women at the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management-Research in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj.
Police say that during his time on the run, he changed 15 hotels in 50 days, often staying in budget lodgings without CCTV cameras. His aides allegedly selected these hotels to help him avoid arrest. He was eventually apprehended at a hotel in Agra on Sunday.
Chaitanyananda has since been remanded to five days in police custody. According to officers, he has been uncooperative, repeatedly telling investigators that the allegations are baseless, that he is “feeling anxious,” and that he has forgotten the passwords to his seized devices. Three mobile phones and an iPad have been sent for forensic analysis.