KOCHI: The Udayamperoor panchayat on Monday issued a stop memo on the Siva Sakthi Yoga Centre that was functioning at a two-storey residential property at Kandanad under the panchayat. This is following a complaint filed by a woman inmate of the centre with the Udayamperoor police alleging that she was illegally detained and subjected to physical torture. The police had registered a case against five persons running the centre in this regard.
According to the police, the woman hailing from Kannur claimed that she was under detention for nearly a month after her relatives took her to the centre. The woman, who married a youth from another religion, was purportedly admitted to the yoga centre by her relatives to prevent her converting to her husband’s religion. The police registered a case against Manoj, director of the yoga centre, Sujith belonging to Perumbalam and Smitha, Lekshmi and Sreejesh whose whereabouts are not known. All of them are absconding, police said.
They were charged under IPC sections 120 (B), 323, 354, 357, 366, 342, 403, 506 and 34 for wrongful confinement, kidnapping, outraging modesty, criminal intimidation and misappropriation of property. There are a total of 35 inmates who have been staying there for some time while ten people are employed for managing it, according to Udayamperoor panchayat president John Jacob. According to the police, no other person except the Kannur native had filed complaints. The centre has not been closed down since the inmates have sought time to leave it. It is under police protection now. Mr John Jacob said that the inmates are mostly teenagers, majority of them girls. “The yoga centre was functioning without obtaining any licence and hence a stop memo was issued on it,” he added.
