Prayagraj,

08 March (HS): Ashutosh Brahmachari, who had filed a complaint saying that

Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati sexually molested pupils at his ashram, was

assaulted with a razor aboard a train here on Sunday morning, police said.

According to a Government Railway Police (GRP) officer, Ashutosh said that the

event occurred as he was heading to Prayagraj on the Rewa Express. According to

the officer, as the train approached Sirathu station in the morning, Ashutosh

went to the bathroom, where an unidentified guy reportedly assaulted him with a

razor. He got minor injuries in the incident and was sent to Calvin Hospital in

Prayagraj for medical treatment, according to the police. A case will be opened

based on the results of the medical examination, according to the officer.

The CCTV

video from the scene is also being investigated to help identify the

perpetrator. He stated that further legal action will be taken depending on the

investigation's results. On February 21, a FIR was filed against Saraswati and

his student Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexual assault of two people,

including a juvenile, during the previous year, especially during the Magh

Mela. The action followed an order issued earlier that day by the Special Judge

(POCSO Act), Prayagraj, mandating the registration of a case based on an application

filed by Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj and others. According to authorities, the

FIR was filed under the relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from

Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

In

addition to Avimukteshwaranand and Mukundanand Brahmachari, the lawsuit names

two to three more unnamed individuals. According to the FIR, the complainants

were Ashutosh Brahmachari Maharaj, a Swami Rambhadracharya disciple, and two

others, including a youngster, who claimed sexual assault at a gurukul and at

religious gatherings. The complainants claimed that the defendants, acting as

religious preceptors, sexually assaulted the youngster and another adolescent

on several occasions throughout the previous year.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi