Probe starts against Isha Yoga Centre, team visits TN office
The action stems from a case filed by one S Kamraj, who alleged that his two daughters were “brainwashed”, and forced to accept monkship
A joint team of police and child protection officers launched an inquiry against Jaggi Vasudev’s Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, a day after the Madras high court sought details of the criminal cases registered against the centre.
The action stems from a case filed by one S Kamraj, who alleged that his two daughters were “brainwashed”, and forced to accept monkship. The petitioner alleged that “...the foundation is abusing certain persons” by “brainwashing and converting them as monks and not even allowing the parents and relatives to meet the inmate monks”.
He also alleged that the centre has employed a doctor, who was earlier booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for molesting 12 girls at a school.
“In view of the serious nature of the allegations raised against the institution and the way and the manner in which the detenues have spoken before us, we could form an opinion that some more deliberations are required to understand the truth behind the allegations,” a bench of justices SM Subramaniam and V Sivagnanam said on Monday. “The learned counsel for the petitioner would also submit that there are several other criminal cases registered and allegations are pending….Therefore, the petitioner shall produce the details of criminal cases registered against the institution and the learned additional public prosecutor also shall collect all those case details and place before us for further consideration.”
Taking note of the matter, the court directed the Coimbatore Rural Police to conduct an enquiry and file a status report and posted the matter to October 4.
A multi-disciplinary team comprising the social welfare department, district child protection unit and child welfare committee, led by superintendent of police (Coimbatore Rural) K Karthikeyan, visited the centre on Tuesday. “Three streams of enquiries are being conducted... One is on the Pocso case. We are also retrieving all the criminal cases registered against Isha... Thirdly, we are conducting a general enquiry on all the inmates,” a senior official said.
The petitioner, in his affidavit, alleged that his daughters were being fed food and medicine that made them lose their cognitive abilities. Furthermore, the petitioner said that his elder daughter Geetha Kamaraj alias Maa Mathi (42) called him on June 15 and told him that his younger daughter Latha Kamaraj alias Ma Maayu (39) was fasting unto death until he gives up the litigation against Isha Foundation.
However, the petitioner’s two daughters had appeared in court on Monday, saying that they were residing at the centre out of their own choice.
The Isha Foundation has denied the allegations. “They (the two daughters) have clearly stated that they are staying in Isha Yoga Centre on their own volition. Now that the matter is seized by the court, we hope that truth will prevail and there is an end to all unnecessary controversies,” it said.