Chennai: Nithyananda's follower held for harassing woman

Chennai: People in Jamin Pallavaram on Sunday morning damaged cars and propaganda vehicle alleging that one of godman Nithyananda's followers tried to behave indecently with a local woman and also tried to encroach upon a road in Pachaiamman Nagar near Trisoolam.

Three days ago Tiruvannamalai district administration and local residents chased away devotees of godman Nithyananda when they tried to encroach upon a hillock there.

Following Sunday's incident police had taken three devotees of Nithyananda including C. Gopi, 32, and 15 local residents to Pallavaram station for questioning in connection with the melee that happened on Sunday morning.

“Gopi was arrested under sections Tamil Nadu prohibition of woman harassment Act. We have also arrested nine local residents for attacking, damaging vehicles and threatening to kill the devotees of the godman. All others were allowed to go back,” police disclosed on Sunday night.

According to the police, Valli, a devotee of the godman, had donated her land measuring 2.15 acres for building a ashram in Pachaiamman Nagar.

The ownership of the particular land itself is a question mark because another person is also claiming that the land belongs to him.

In this background devotees of godman had started parking their propaganda vehicles and cars in the property and started fencing the land. They had not only fenced the land but also a street, following which the residents started objecting to it.

The land dispute is currently being looked into by the revenue department. On Sunday, when local resident Anand and his wife were walking through the area one of the devotees of Nithyananda allegedly made some remarks and showed some obscene gestures. This led to Anand bringing in more people from his neighbourhood and they damaged the car, police said. Police noted that followers of godman had been staying in the place in containers that are turned into air-conditioned mobile residences.