'I Am God, Obey Me': Woman Accuses Vrindavan-Based Preacher Indradev Of Sexual Assault

Pune/Mira-Bhayandar: Vrindavan-based preacher Indradev Maharaj has been booked on charges of sexual abuse and intimidation after a woman devotee from Pune in Maharashtra accused him of forcing himself on her when she was staying at his Sevadham Ashram in the Uttar Pradesh town earlier in 2023 and of obscene acts over video calls thereafter.Kashimira police station in Mira-Bhayandar registered a Zero FIR transferable to Mathura, where the alleged crime took place. Indradev has not yet reacted. At a press conference held by an activist and the woman, there were other women too who made accusations, though so far there's one FIR.The complainant in that FIR alleged that Indradev called her to his room late at night while she was staying at his Sevadham Ashram in Vrindavan in 2023. She said he shut the door and forced himself on her. According to the complaint, she was told to say she was going to fetch medicine if anyone asked where she was going.The woman further alleged that the preacher made her undress during video calls, performed obscene acts and recorded them. She also alleged that he threatened her over the phone and used the fear of public humiliation to continue the exploitation. "I am God, and you have to obey," he allegedly told her.According to the complaint, the woman came into contact with Indradev in 2023 after watching his discourses on social media. She later attended a satsang in Santacruz, Mumbai, to receive diksha (spiritual initiation) from him. She said contact between them grew after that. She alleged that he gained her trust by promising to resolve personal problems she had shared with him, and that she later visited his ashram in Vrindavan.The woman said she had been trying to get justice for several months, but her complaint had been ignored in Mathura. The Zero FIR was registered after activist Trupti Desai, who leads an organisation called Bhumata Brigade, intervened. Desai held a press conference in Pune about the case. The complainant attended, along with several other women who also accused the same preacher of exploitation and described their experiences.Desai demanded the preacher's immediate arrest and a thorough investigation. She also called for statements to be recorded from other possible victims."Those who exploit women's faith must be brought within the ambit of the law. The time has come for women not to stay silent and to raise their voice against injustice," Desai said.Desai appealed to any other woman wronged by the preacher to come forward without fear and file a complaint.(Inputs from Ajinkya Patil and Irrfan Sayyed)