‘Swami Ji first to apply Holi colours on female students': Shocking details in Chaitanyananda sexual harassment case

THe swelled outrage surrounding Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati is snowballing with reinvigorated allegations of torment surfacing against the soi-disant godman. He allegedly seized phones and certificates of students to create a sense of fear, threatened to deduct their marks if they complained and sent inappropriate texts like 'baby, I love you' to one of the female students.Chaitanyananda Saraswati, former chairman of the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management Research in New Delhi, faces allegations of molestation of female students, and financial irregularities involving a trust worth ₹122 crore.The mass molestation case against him stems from a complaint filed on August 5, and the six-page FIR against the 'godman' revealed some chilling details, and cites accounts from 32 women who allegedly reported repeated harassment.'Swami Ji first to apply to colour on Holi'In a bizarre diktat, female students were allegedly lined up during a Holi celebration and told that Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati would be the first to apply colour on their cheeks. “Each student had to say ‘Hariom’ and bow before him, after which he would apply colour to their cheeks and the parting of hair (maang),” the FIR states.The self-styled godman reportedly conveyed this order to the students through a woman teacher. The FIR against the self-styled godman has statements from a 21-year-old.'Baby, I love you' texts, threats to cut marksThe 21-year-old who made statements against Chaitanyananda allegedly received personal messages like “baby, I love you, I adore you, you are looking beautiful today,” from him. The monk also gave compliments to the students' "curly hair".Not only did the monk allegedly harass students, he also threatened to cut their marks when objections were raised. The FIR details incidents from a June 2025 industrial visit to Rishikesh, where the accused allegedly called female students at odd hours and threatened to cut their marks.According to a student, the Swami's threats were relayed through a staff member, and alleged that she was warned that her brother would be targeted by cops. “He would then touch my face and hand…,” her statement in the FIR reads.Phones, certificates seized; threats to 'destroy careers'One of the survivors' friends detailed how the monk harassed students, alleging that he seized phones under the garb of letting them "focus on students", asked them to hand over their original certificates, and even threatened to end their careers."He marked students first and asked them to deposit their phones so they could 'focus on studies'. The phones would remain in his custody for some time, and in return, he would hand over a new one of his choice. This ensured that communication was under his control and did not reach anyone else," the friend was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.He also revealed that it was mandatory for students to submit their original certificates to create a "sense of fear", and they were returned only upon completion of the course. "This created a sense of fear, as every student's career was locked there. If anyone dared to resist or complain, they were worried that their certificates might never be returned, ruining their careers," he noted.The students allegedly molested were pursuing PGDM courses under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) scholarship at the institute. "Girls were frequently warned that their careers would be destroyed if they opposed him. Some were even expelled from the institute. Finally, someone dared to raise her voice," the friend added.(With inputs from PTI, HT correspondent)