AUSTRALIA
The Australian
JANET FIFE-YEOMANS THE DAILY TELEGRAPH DECEMBER 10, 2014
THE Mangrove Mountain ashram was accused by its bosses in India of “swami says syndrome” and “hiding behind the guru’s dhoti” in its handling of the revelations that a former guru raped children, the child sex abuse royal commission heard today.
The email sent in October this year contained a stinging rebuke after it was announced that the Satyananda Yoga Ashram was being investigated by the commission over its handling of sexual abuse allegations made against Swami Akhandananda Saraswati between 1974 and 2014.
The Indian bosses also sought to distance themselves from any of the damning behaviour despite evidence that the former head of Satyananda Yoga, Swami Satyananda, was told about the abuse in 1987 in India and declined to get involved.
Along with Satyananda at that meeting in 1987 was the now-current head of Satyananda Yoga, Swami Niranjan, 52, the commission has been told.
It was Swami Niranjan who wrote the October email, saying: “From our perspective there is no accountability or concern for yoga in Australia. No one is prepared to take responsibility for the situation and events which have occurred.”
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