Parents of a boy who was allegedly abused at the school say the staffers failed to protect him, and discouraged them from going to the police. This article was originally published in Scroll.in.
A criminal case has been registered against four staff members and a former student of an Isha Foundation-run school in Tamil Nadu after parents alleged their son was sexually abused by a fellow student between 2017 and 2019. The complaint accuses the school of failing to act, attempting to suppress the incident, and discouraging the family from involving the police to protect the reputation of spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev (Sadhguru).
The FIR includes charges under the POCSO Act and IPC, citing aggravated assault, failure to report abuse, wrongful confinement, and emotional manipulation. The mother claims the school staff dismissed her concerns, made classist remarks about the accused student’s elite background, and told her reporting the matter would damage Sadhguru’s image and bring her bad karma.
Despite reaching out to Isha Foundation and Sadhguru himself, the family received no help. The Foundation denied all allegations, claiming the issue was merely bullying, the family remained associated with the school afterward, and that the mother only raised sexual abuse claims after being asked to leave her volunteer position.
The mother now alleges threats and harassment for speaking out, and has formally requested police action against the accused staff for negligence and intimidation.
