Another case filed against Nityananda

Another case has been filed against self-styled godman Nityananda Swami on a complaint by an ashram inmate who has claimed that he had shot the video purportedly showing the Swami in a compromising position with an actress which was later telecast on TV channels.

Police Commissioner T Rajendiran told reporters here today that Sri Nithya Dharmananda alias K Lenin had said in his complaint that he had shot the video and submitted a CD of the purported act caught on camera.

"We have filed a case under different sections of IPC (including rape and criminal intimidation) based on the complaint. The case does not come under our jurisdiction, and it would be transferred to Karnataka police and Tamil Nadu DGP (Letika Saran) has spoken to her Karnataka counterpart," he said.

The police had earlier filed a case of cheating against Nityananda following a complaint by a group of Madras High Court advocates.

Rajendiran said Dharmananda said in his complaint that he had been staying in the Nityananda Dhyanapeetam in Bangalore since 2006 and levied different charges against the Swami including that he had forced some individuals into homosexual acts who had later left the ashram, besides being intimate with women devotees.

He had also said one person was found dead under "mysterious circumstances" in the ashram while another attempted suicide.

Dharmananda said he shot the latest video "showing Nityananda with the actress" in December last year with a view to exposing him and sought police action against him to "protect devotees and Hinduism", Rajendiran said.

He had alleged that he was threatened twice by Nityananda and some of his disciples on suspicion that he had shot a video, Rajendiran said.

The video aired on Tamil TV channels recently had caused a furore, with some Hindu groups and others protesting against Nityananda even as Karnataka government promised "very strict" action against him.

The ashram, however, has said there was a "conspiracy" to malign Nityananda's reputation and maintained that the video footage was morphed.