Delhi: A former student of the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management-Research in Delhi has provided details to media regarding the alleged systematic modus operandi used by the institute’s former director, the molestation-accused Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, to target female students.
Former Students reveals details about Delhi’s Ashram Director
The student, who claimed he was expelled from the upscale Vasant Kunj institute, stated that the targeting process began immediately upon admission. Identified students were reportedly approached with offers of better services, including higher academic scores, foreign internships, and favorable placements.
Detailing the lavish incentives used, the former student made a bombshell revelation: “He offered them free foreign trips, iPhones, chauffeur-driven cars and laptops.”
According to the source, compliance led to “smooth sailing,” while refusal resulted in severe harassment. Students who declined the offers allegedly faced isolation, constant 24/7 surveillance, forced overnight stays, and in some cases, expulsion, with the harassment extending to their parents.
Arsham Director Selected Students Personally
The selection of targeted students was purportedly carried out personally by Chaitanyananda Saraswati (formerly Swami Parthasarathy). The student explained that the director conducted one-on-one conversations and gender-separated classes to identify women students. Subsequently, a few female staff members, alleged to be compromised former students who had previously accepted the Swami’s offers, would then coerce the targeted students to meet the accused in his office or room.
The former student’s account aligns with details from a 2016 harassment complaint against the Swami. In that complaint, a student alleged that the director would call her at night, making sexually explicit remarks and addressing her as “baby” and “sweet girl.” She detailed fleeing the hostel after the Swami allegedly pressured her to accompany him on a two-day trip to Mathura.
The source further revealed that the institute demanded and retained the original documents of every student upon admission, a practice allegedly designed to “ensure an atmosphere of fear” should anyone speak out. The campus was also reported to be under heavy surveillance, with at least 170 CCTV cameras, to which Chaitanyanand Saraswati reportedly had continuous access.
