Former Bihar minister and RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav
Credit: PTI Photo
Patna: Former Bihar minister and RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Wednesday charged the head of the ISKCON temple in Patna with sexual misconduct, and demanded police action against the religious leader besides his expulsion from the world-renowned order.
The maverick politician also shared on X a purported video of the current president of ISKCON Patna with a young woman, who was heard screaming.
Talking to reporters, Yadav, who is RJD president Lalu Prasad's elder son, claimed, "It is not the first time when I have flagged allegations of sexual misconduct against the local ISKCON head. I had told the police about his activities, involving even minors, a few months ago".
A statement issued by ISKCON said "a team of four senior members from the eastern region is inquiring into the matter and based on its report, the leadership may take an appropriate decision".
The mercurial leader also said that the video was, admittedly, old but stressed that "the current ISKCON president can be clearly seen therein in a compromising position. I have informed the police about the latest video and have been assured that the matter will be looked into".
However, when contacted, SHO of Kotwali police station Rajan Kumar said "we have not received any complaint from the former minister. We are investigating allegations levelled in two cross FIRs lodged by rival factions of ISKCON here two days ago".
The two factions had clashed on Monday night and the matter was brought under control after police intervention, Kumar said.
“There seems to be a group of young monks up in arms against the establishment whom they accuse of financial wrongs. Yes, we are also aware of a viral video allegedly featuring a temple official. All these things are being investigated,” the SHO added.
Deputy SP (Law and Order) Krishna Murari Prasad said "both sides have claimed themselves to be the victim and put the blame on rivals. We are probing the matter at our level. We will also seek inputs from a team of ISKCON office bearers who are said to be looking into the episode".