COIMBATORE: After a woman raised allegations of sexual assault of her child at the Isha Yoga Home School in Coimbatore, an FIR was filed against four Isha Yoga staff under the Pocso Act in January this year, and a police investigation is under way.
The complaint was lodged by a 46-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh, who detailed a series of incidents that allegedly occurred between 2017 and 2019, involving her son and a former student at the institution.
The complainant said her son was subjected to repeated sexual assault and harassment by a fellow student, as well as physical assaults and threats.
Despite the incidents being reported to the school’s house parents, principal, and general coordinator, no substantial action was taken by the Isha Yoga management, the complainant stated.
She claimed that the school management dismissed her concerns, citing the gender of the victim and the elite status of the accused student’s family. She further alleged that the school pressured her to avoid police involvement, warning of reputational damage to the institution’s founder Jaggi Vasudev.
The complainant stated that her son suffered severe trauma, displaying symptoms of depression and withdrawal, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdown period when classes shifted online.
Despite multiple attempts to escalate the matter to the school’s leadership and the institution’s founder Jaggi Vasudev between 2019 and 2024, she received no resolution and was eventually asked to leave the ashram premises in June 2024.
The complainant claimed she faced threats and harassment.
While the accused student was booked, the All Women Police Station in Perur also registered a case under sections 9 (I), 10, 21 of Pocso Act and Section 342 of the IPC against four persons at the Isha Yoga Centre, and have forwarded it to the Special Court for Pocso Cases in Coimbatore.