Nithyananda charged by police in child kidnapping case

A notice was issued by the High Court to self-styled godman Nithyananda and an FIR has been registered on charges of kidnapping and wrongful confinement of children after he was accused of forcing them to collect donations from followers to run his ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, according to a report.

The case was booked after statements from four children, who were rescued from the ashram premises, were recorded. A couple has also alleged that their four daughters were admitted to an educational institution run by Nithyananda in Bengaluru in 2013. The girls were, however, reportedly shifted to the Yogini Sarvagya Peetham in Hirapur village, almost 50 km from Ahmedabad, without the parents’ consent. Further, they were not allowed inside the institution when they made a request to meet their children. According to a petition filed by them, two of their daughters, who have been rescued with the help of the police, were kept in “illegal confinement.” The other two girls refused to go along with the parents, according to a report.

Two female disciples of Nithyananda, Sadhvi Pranpriyananda and Priyatatva Riddhi Kiran, have already been arrested for illegally holding the children captive in order to promote activities of the ashram. Nithyananda, who is currently abroad, has been booked on similar charges.