Nithyananda disciples hold proxy press meet

Their sex scandal-tainted swamiji is still at large, so a press conference called by three senior followers of self-styled godman Paramahamsa Nithyananda on Monday turned out to be a proxy platform to clear some of the charges levelled against him.

Not only did they not answer reporters’ queries on the video flicks which allegedly showed Nithyananda in a sex romp with a Tamil actress, for the most part the three saffron-clad swamijis’ stock response was “no comments”. The press conference was organised at Nithyananda’s Bidadi ashram a day after the godman appeared in a video to proclaim he had done nothing illegal. All that Nithyananda’s press coordinator Nithya Sachithananda would say was that the secretly filmed footage showing the godman make out with Tamil actress Ranjitha was released to malign his swamiji and that it was executed with “surgical precisions.” Sachithananda said the “swamiji himself will appear to comment on all issues related to the video.” When asked when Nithyananda would appear to clear all charges, Sachithananda said the godman’s “personal security” was risk and so “we have advised him to come after a few days.” Pointing out that his organisation was consulting legal experts, Sachithananda questioned the technological knowledge of Nithyananda’s close aide Lenin Karuppan, alias Dharmananda, who is believed to have secretly filmed Nithyananda’s sexcapades in a room within the ashram premises. Asked whether the sting operation was the result of a land or finaincial deal gone awry, Sachitananda said “no comments.” Sachithananda claimed Nithyananda’s organisation has no branches in Sri Lanka and that the Bidadi ashram was built over “100 per cent legal and patta land.” He also brushed aside allegations of encroachment. Sachithananda claimed Ranjitha visited the Bidadi ashram as a devotee seven months back and attended meditation programmes. He challenged a 23-year-old woman who had earlier levelled charges of rape and sexual harassment against Nithyananda to identify herself and denied the allegations.