Yoga guru held for seeking sexual favours

A 57-year-old yoga teacher has been arrested for allegedly seeking sexual favour from a woman during his classes in Sewri. The accused, Shivram Raut, who has been conducting yoga classes for last few years, was arrested from his residence at Wadala on Saturday night, police said.

“The accused conducts yoga classes every Sunday. During the sessions, he asked the woman to have sexual relations with him to attain ‘moksha’,” police said.

The woman and her husband approached RAK Marg police station in Sewri and filed a complaint against Raut last week. Based on the complaint, police arrested the accused from his house.

Senior inspector of RAK Marg police station Bhagwat Bansod said, “Raut is the chief of Shiom Tirth Yog Academy. He has been conducting yoga classes every Sunday at Prabodhankar Thakare Hall, MCGM School in Sewri for the last few years.”

“The accused has been booked under IPC Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outage her modesty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of woman),” the official said. Following the complaint, a few more women came forward with similar complaints against the teacher.

He was produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate Esplanade Court which granted him bail. “We requested court to grant him at two days police custody as more women are expected to come forward to register complaint against Raut,” the officer said.