FIR lodged against Nithyananda case investigators for showing porn to children in ashram

A special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences court in Ahmedabad filed complaints against several police officers investigating a case of abduction against religious leader Nithyananda, for allegedly showing pornographic content to children at his ashram, PTI reported on Tuesday. The first information report was lodged on the basis of a complaint petition filed by a follower of the religious leader on Friday.

A case was registered against 14 police officials, including members of the Child Welfare Committee at Vivekanandanagar police station in Ahmedabad. Earlier in November, the police here had charged the controversial godman and two of his women disciples for wrongful confinement and abduction of two girls and a boy who were living in his ashram.

The police investigation at the ashram took place after Janardana Sharma and his wife, in a habeas corpus petition, alleged that children were kept under “illegal confinement” in the ashram.

In his petition, Girish Turlapati alleged that officials “under the guise of carrying out investigation” had asked offensive questions to children residing in Nithyananda’s ashram, The Indian Express reported. He said children were mentally tortured and traumatised and that their “personal space and privacy was infringed on”.

Turlapati also accused the investigating officials of showing children morphed pornographic videos. Children were “physically manhandled and bribed with chocolates and other eatable items and were emotionally blackmailed with a view to obtain desirable results from them,” he added.

The court in its order on Friday ordered the registration of cases under the provisions of the POCSO Act, Information and Technology Act and Indian Penal Code.

“We have lodged an FIR against 14 persons, including police officers on March 6 following an order by the POCSO court,” senior police officer PD Manvar told PTI. “Till now, we have recorded the statement of the complainant and further investigation is on” he added.

In January, Interpol had issued a Blue Corner Notice against Nithyananda on the request of the Gujarat government. A Blue Corner Notice makes it mandatory for member countries to share the whereabouts of a person.

Nithyananda is believed to have fled the country in November, after which the Gujarat Police turned to the Ministry of External Affairs and investigative agencies for help. The government then cancelled Nithyananda’s passport and also rejected his application for a fresh one.

Media reports in December claimed that Nithyananda had founded an independent country called “Kailaasa” near Ecuador in Latin America. However, the Indian government said: “Setting up a website is different from setting up a nation.” The Ecuadorian government also denied that it had granted asylum to the religious leader.