Vrindavan-based religious preacher Indradev Maharaj has been booked after a woman devotee from Maharashtra accused him of sexually abusing her at his Sevadham Ashram in Uttar Pradesh in 2023 and later exploiting her through obscene video calls and threats.
A Zero FIR was registered at Kashimira police station in Mira-Bhayandar, Maharashtra, and transferred to Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, where the alleged offences took place. The case is being investigated under Sections 69, 75, 79 and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Indradev Maharaj has not publicly responded to the allegations.
Woman Alleges Assault at Vrindavan Ashram
According to the woman’s complaint, she came into contact with Indradev in 2023 after watching his religious discourses on social media. She later attended a satsang in Santacruz, Mumbai, where she received diksha, or spiritual initiation, from him.
The complainant alleged that she shared personal and family problems with the preacher, who gained her trust by promising to help resolve them. She subsequently visited his Sevadham Ashram in Vrindavan.
She alleged that during her stay in 2023, Indradev called her to his room late at night, shut the door and forced himself on her. She was allegedly told to say she was going to fetch medicine if anyone asked where she had gone.
The woman further alleged that the preacher later made her undress during video calls, performed obscene acts and recorded them. She also accused him of threatening to publicly humiliate her to continue the alleged exploitation.
“I am God, and you have to obey,” he allegedly told her, according to the complaint.
Activist Trupti Desai Takes Up the Case
The complainant said she had been seeking action on her complaint for several months but had not received a response from authorities in Mathura.
The Zero FIR was registered after activist Trupti Desai, who heads the Bhumata Brigade, intervened. Desai held a press conference in Pune, where the complainant spoke about her allegations. Several other women also came forward and accused the preacher of exploitation, although only one FIR has been registered so far.
Desai demanded the preacher’s arrest and a thorough investigation, including the recording of statements from other women who may have faced similar experiences.
“Those who exploit women’s faith must be brought within the ambit of the law. The time has come for women not to stay silent and to raise their voice against injustice,” Desai said.
She also appealed to other women who may have been wronged by the preacher to come forward and file complaints without fear.
Case Transferred to Mathura for Investigation
A Zero FIR can be registered at any police station, irrespective of where the alleged offence occurred, before being transferred to the police station with jurisdiction. In this case, the complaint was registered at Kashimira police station and transferred to Mathura for further investigation.
The reported BNS provisions include Section 69, which deals with sexual intercourse through deceitful means; Section 75, concerning sexual harassment; Section 79, relating to words or acts intended to insult a woman’s modesty; and Section 351(2), which deals with criminal intimidation.
The reported sections do not include Section 64 of the BNS, the principal provision dealing with rape. The allegations and applicable charges may be examined further during the investigation.
Indradev Maharaj has been associated with the Sevadham Ashram in Vrindavan. Reports have also raised questions about his religious affiliation and status within different akharas. No public response from the preacher or the ashram to the allegations was available at the time of reporting.
