Nithyananda devotees in a limbo

Nearly 70 devotees of Nithyananda still remain at the Bidadi Ashram handling numerous responsibilities. But as the funds are drying up, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the services that were discharged earlier. Now, the devotees’ hopes hinge on the Court hearing about activating the godman’s accounts.

Nityapriyananda, a devotee who has been at the Ashram since its inception, says that the backlash in the aftermath of the scandal has been painful.
“Our activities have been misrepresented and we are shocked at how the events have spiralled out of control,” she said.

Emphatically denying any claims of abuse of women devotees, Nityapriyananda and another devotee, Santhosh maintained that the Ashram was the safest place in the world and none of the women they knew had come to any harm. She brushed off the non-disclosure agreement, saying that the 10-page document was used in all their centres worldwide and was a necessary precaution when dealing with non-Indians.
She claimed that the Ashram inmates had noticed Lenin Karuppan had ego issues with Nithyananda and was unhappy when his administrative responsibilities at the Ashram were changed.

Lenin was responsible for releasing the video, which found the godman in a compromising position with an actress and later filed a complaint with the police alleging financial and other irregularities at the Ashram. Completely convinced with the godman’s innocence, they said it was a fabricated piece of evidence and no one who knew him could associate him with such a deed.

Nearly 70 out of 200 inmates still remain at the Ashram. After the scandal, young girls who were staying at the Ashram have been sent back to their families, till the storm dies down.
DH News Service