Nithyananda Swami Appears on Website; Seeks Devotees’ Trust
Daijiworld Media Network—Chennai (CN)
Chennai, Mar 7: Nithyananda Swami, whose whereabouts are unknown, on Sunday March 7, appeared on his official website and assured his devotees and well-wishers that he will come back with clear details about the allegation against him.
This is the first time he is making a statement since the SUN TV sting operation about his sex scandal with Tamil film actress Ranjitha, was made public on Tuesday March 2.
Below is an excerpt of the speech made on his website.
Clad in his standard saffron attire, he said, “Dear one and all, there have been many allegations against me and my organization in the recent days, but at the same time I have received overwhelming support from my devotees, and well-wishers worldwide through e-mails and other forms of communication. Those who have benefitted from my teachings are shocked by the allegation against me. I assure all of you that nothing illegal has been done by me or my organization. We are in the process of collecting evidence to establish this lie and the motive behind this false campaign. I will address all allegations soon in front of you. I urge everyone not to rush to judgments before all the facts have been tabled. Please wait for some days; we will collect all the facts and present it clearly to you all. I thank all devotees and well-wishers for standing by me during this moment of challenge.”
Engineering diploma at 17, enlightenment at 20
The law, of course, will not determine whether Paramahamsa Nithyananda, the self-styled godman allegedly in the thick of a sex scandal, is indeed an “enlightened one” or a charlatan.
But what has already interested the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka police is his educational background, which is a clue to an almost “fantastic feat”, as one Bangalore police officer put it.
In 1990, Nithyananda, who was then known as Rajasekaran, was allowed enrollment to a three-year mechanical engineering diploma course at the Rajagopal Polytechnic College in Gudiyattam in Tamil Nadu’s Vellor district. Rajasekaran was then all of
12 years of age.
A simple substraction would show that he was only 17-year old when he graduated, the mechanical engineering diploma tucked under his arm, and well on his way to self-proclaimed “enlightenment”.
Even as the scandal hit the headlines, the college authorities continue to run a scroll flash file on their website that says: “As an alumini, Swamiji Nithyanantha has donated magnanimously Rs.200000 (Rs two lakh) for Noon Meal Scheme. Each year he used to donate huge sum whole heartedly. We proudly register here that he is our old student, did his Mechanical Engineering (1990-1993).”
In this context, senior Tamil Nadu police officers said they could take action “if only a formal complaint” was lodged. One officer said that a through background check of Nithyananda “is in place” to ascertain his educational qualifications. “Your guess is as good as mine on the claim that he attained enlightenment in the year 2,000,” he said.
The polytechnic institution ran Nithyananda’s photograph alongside its expression of gratitude to the godman till such time when all appeared to be going smoothly for him, but removed it promptly when the scandal broke.
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