Police begin search operation in Nithyananda's Ashram

Bangalore: Ramanagaram police on Tuesday began search operations in Swamy Nithyananda Ashram in Bidadi. Sources said that police has been directed to arrest to all those named in the FIR including Nithyananda.

SP Ramanagaram, Anupam Agarwal, said "If we find Nithyananda we will arrest him for charges of assault and threat to life, this has nothing to do with the sleaze tapes."

Earlier, facing arrest Nithyananda moved the Karnataka High Court seeking quashing of an FIR filed in connection with last week's violent incidents in his ashram.

Nithyananda, already facing criminal charges including rape, has been absconding since June 7 after police filed an FIR on charges of assault and threat to life in the wake of an altercation between his supporters and a regional TV reporter and activists of a Kannada outfit in his ashram at Bidadi.

Nithyananda filed the petition in the High Court a day after the police issued a warrant for his arrest and the government ordered a probe into his ashram activities amid growing state-wide protests against him over his alleged sexual exploitation of his followers.

As calls for government crackdown on the ashram and Nithyananda grew, Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Monday said he would be arrested in two days.

The self-sytled godman, who has been enlarged on bail after being arrested in 2010 on rape and other charges, courted fresh trouble after a US-based woman disciple last week alleged she was sexually exploited by him for five years, a claim that has caused public outrage and protests.

Nithyananda prayed the Court to call for the records in relation to the latest case registered on the basis of a complaint by Ajit Hanamakkanavar, a TV channel reporter.

The case is presently pending before the Additional Civil Judge and Judicial First Class Magistrate court in Ramanagar.

(With additional inputs from PTI)

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