The recent rape case of a minor girl involving Swami Poornananda Saraswati in Visakhapatnam has been raising doubts about the authenticity of ashram heads and gurus. Men under the masks of seers and religious personalities exploiting their credibility is not a new scenario in the country and the latest case has further extended the concerns.
In a development, the head of Andhra Pradesh Sadhu Parishad, Srinivasananda Saraswati, rushed to the defence of the Gnanananda Ashram seer. He alleged political and land mafia behind the sexual assault allegations. According to Srinivasananda, a conspiracy has been chalked out to loot the lands of the Gnanananda Ashram spread across 6 acres.
Also read: Minor girl rape by seer blemishes 68YO history of Gnanananda Ashram in Visakhapatnam
He stated that the ashram land is worth crores and alleged that a few men are blemishing Poornananda’s reputation for their advantage. Srinivasananada added that the allegations made by the minor girl are a part of the conspiracy to shut the ashram down. Joining this bandwagon, a few political parties, too, have expressed their stance on the rape charges being false.
Similar rape charges were levelled against Swami Poornananda Saraswati of Visakhapatnam in 2012 for the sexual assault of a minor girl at his ashram. Nevertheless, he was released on bail soon after that.
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