BHOPAL: Ujjain-based religious preacher and Mahamandaleshwar Indradev Maharaj has been expelled by the Panchayati Akhara Shri Niranjani following the registration of a sexual harassment FIR against him by a woman devotee in Mumbai.
The action also bars him from participating in gatherings of Hindu seers across the country, Mahant Ravindra Puri, secretary of the Haridwar-headquartered Akhara and president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), told TNIE.
The Panchayati Akhara Shri Niranjani is among the seven Shaivite Sanyasi Akharas and is one of the 13 major Akharas recognised by the ABAP, the apex body representing the country's major Hindu monastic orders.
"The decision has been necessitated by the sexual harassment complaint and the subsequent FIR registered by the woman in Mumbai. We had already been cautioning the concerned seer, particularly over the intemperate language he was allegedly using during public discourses and religious sermons for years. However, he failed to mend his ways. The latest development left us with no option but to expel him," Puri said.
The expulsion comes amid a police investigation into serious allegations made by a woman devotee, who has accused the seer of making obscene remarks during phone and video conversations, sexually harassing her and forcing her into a sexual relationship at his ashram in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh. These allegations are part of the complaint and have not yet been established in court.
Indradev Maharaj, who is currently constructing a new ashram and gaushala on Bhukhi Mata Mandir Road near Narsingh Ghat in Ujjain, also has ashrams in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, and Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh. He was anointed Mahamandaleshwar during the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha in 2015.
Explaining the circumstances surrounding the action, Puri said Indradev had been elevated to the prestigious position in recognition of his knowledge of religion and spirituality, as well as his understanding of Ayurveda. However, complaints about his conduct during religious discourses had reportedly been reaching the Akhara over the past few years.
"He was made Mahamandaleshwar because of his knowledge of religion, spirituality and Ayurveda. But over the last few years, we had been receiving complaints, particularly about the intemperate language he allegedly used while addressing devotees, even during religious discourses. Whenever we questioned him, he claimed that he was being targeted by people opposed to religion," Puri told TNIE over the phone from Haridwar.
Puri further said Indradev had not remained actively associated with the Akhara's activities after being elevated to the position of Mahamandaleshwar and had stopped attending its religious, social and other programmes.
"The latest episode involving the sexual harassment complaint is extremely serious. Considering the nature of the allegations made by the woman devotee, we decided to expel him from the Akhara," he said.
According to details of the woman's complaint, she had initially approached religious discourses in search of spiritual guidance and solutions to problems within her family. She reportedly told Mumbai police that she wanted to find peace at home and resolve domestic difficulties through religious programmes.
In January 2023, she began watching Indradev Maharaj's sermons on Facebook. She subsequently obtained his mobile number from a televised discourse and contacted him on April 10, 2023. She was allegedly informed about a seven-day religious discourse being organised in Santacruz East, Mumbai, which she attended on April 12 with her younger daughter.
The following day, on April 13, she reportedly took diksha (spiritual initiation) from the seer and returned home after the programme.
The woman alleged that she attended another religious programme on December 8, 2023, where she spoke to Indradev about her personal and family problems. According to her complaint, the seer assured her that he would help her and asked her to remain in regular contact with him and offer him services.
She subsequently accused him of subjecting her to repeated harassment through phone calls and video calls. The woman alleged that he made obscene remarks during these conversations and exposed himself during video calls.
The complaint further alleges that the seer later forced her into a sexual relationship at his ashram in Vrindavan. She also accused him of threatening her and pressuring her to delete audio recordings allegedly connected with the incident.
The Mumbai police registered an FIR following the woman's complaint. The allegations have now also triggered disciplinary action within the Akhara, with its leadership deciding to strip Indradev of his position and sever his association with the religious order.
The development marks a significant fall for a seer who had been conferred the prestigious Mahamandaleshwar title at the 2015 Simhastha and subsequently established religious establishments in multiple states. Akhara's decision also signals its stated unwillingness to allow the controversy surrounding the allegations to affect its institutional standing.