Interpol issues notice against godman Nithyananda

The Interpol has issued blue corner notice against self-styled "godman" A Rajesekaran alias Swami Nithyananda who is wanted in a case of the kidnapping of children, keeping them in illegal confinement and forcing them to do child labour here at his ashram. The investigating officer said that the notice to locate Nithyananda was issued recently following a request, he had made in December last year.

On the other hand, the city police also filed a charge sheet against two of Nithyananda's disciples- Harini Chellappan alias Ma Nithya Pran Priyananda, 30, and Riddhi Ravikiran alias Nithya Priyatatvanadha, 24. Both residents of Bidadi in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The chargesheet also names Nithyananda as a wanted accused. He has been identified by the police as A Rajsekaran, resident of Bidadi, Bengaluru, Karnataka. They have been chargesheeted for kidnapping, torturing and compelling the children to work as labourers at a private flat. The complainant in the case is parents of two minor who were among the ten children and were rescued by the police.

"The Interpol has issued blue corner notice recently after we approached the CBI, the nodal agency, in December to find out the location of Nithyananda," said Deputy Superintend of Police K T Kamariya, who is investigating the case. He added that the police will also try to get red corner notice issued against Nithyananda in the coming days.

The charge sheet states that the two accused women forced the children, on behalf of Nithyananda, to share his videos of speeches on Facebook and other social media for publicity and also set a target for them. It says that the students were made to dance at nights for the "publicity and collection of donation for Nithyananda" and forced them to do child labour. It says that the students were abused and beaten up as part of their learning.

According to the chargesheet, the Ashram generated nearly Rs20 lakh donation by compelling the children to do aforementioned jobs allegedly on behalf of the absconding Nithyananda. Soon after the FIR was registered November last year, police had told this paper that Nithyananda had fled the country. In the meanwhile, the Nithyananda's ashram located in a well-known public school was demolished, which was found to be constructed illegally.

The parents of the two children, on whose behalf the FIR was registered, continue to fight to get custody of their two adult daughters who are living in Jamaica from where they recently filed affidavit, at the Indian High Commission at Kingston, in Gujarat high court that they don't want to live with their parents. The two daughters accused their parents of framing Nithyananda.