Chennai: School founder refuses to attend hearing of sexual harassment case due to ‘heart attack’

A case of sexual harassment was recently registered by the Mamallapuram police against self-styled godman Shiva Shankar Baba, who is the founder of Chennai’s Sushil Hari International School in Kelambakkam. The man has reportedly refused to attend the hearing claiming that he has suffered a heart attack.

Days ago, some of the alumni of Sushil Hari International School took to social media and opened up about how Shiva Shankar Baba sexually abused them during their school days. He was reportedly accused of molestation, intoxicating minors with alcohol, showing them pornographic content and rape. One of the complainants informed the police that the self-styled godman used to call the female children to his residence and ask them to strip their clothes in front of him, claiming that he was Lord Krishna. Cases have been registered against the founder under various sections of the POCSO Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The chairman of the Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection of Child Rights (TNCPCR) asked Shiva Shankar Baba and the other staff members who were allegedly involved in facilitating the abuse to appear before the commission on June 11. The accused godman has refused to appear before the child rights body, citing his health condition. According to a statement by the administrator of the school, Shiva Shankar Baba has been admitted to a hospital in Dehradun after suffering a heart attack and is currently under treatment.