‘Criminals rule in UP, influence probes’: Seer denies contact with complainants in POCSO case

Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on Wednesday alleged that “criminals rule” in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.

Addressing reporters here, Saraswati displayed a purported WhatsApp group on his phone, which he claimed had been created by a man named Ashutosh Pandey and in which information related to the case against him was being shared.

“Whatever investigation police are conducting is reaching Ashutosh Pandey. What kind of probe is this?” the seer asked, alleging that the investigation was being compromised.

Showing a purported screenshot from the group, Saraswati claimed that a message stated that Pandey assisted in the collection of evidence during the investigation and remained with the probe team for three days.

Responding to claims that a photograph of Pandey with a senior IPS officer currently posted in Prayagraj was AI-generated, Saraswati said the same picture had been posted earlier in the WhatsApp group with a birthday greeting and had also been uploaded on Facebook. “This is the same photograph that we showed the media,” he said.

The seer said saints across the country were feeling apprehensive over the developments. “Today, sadhus and saints in the country are worried. When a history-sheeter can level allegations against a shankaracharya, what will happen to them?” he asked.

Saraswati further claimed that the two victims named in the FIR had been living with Pandey for a long time.

“If anything wrong has happened with those children, it must have been done by those who were with them. We had no contact with them,” he said, adding that “If someone wants to fabricate a story, they can concoct anything.”

Meanwhile, in Prayagraj, Pandey said he had sufficient evidence in the matter and accused Saraswati of making baseless allegations against the Uttar Pradesh Police. “We have adequate evidence against him. Even if the most active police force in the world investigates this case, it will not be able to save him,” Pandey said.

An FIR was lodged on 21 February at a police station in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, alleging sexual abuse of two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and during religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.

Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the “fabricated story” would be exposed sooner or later. He had claimed there were “three courts” — the public, his own conscience and the Supreme Court — which, according to him, would ultimately decide who was right and who was wrong, adding, “I have received clean chits from all three.”

With PTI inputs