Swami Pradiptananda, more widely known as Kartik Maharaj and a recent recipient of the Padma Shri award, has been booked under rape charges following a serious complaint filed by a woman who claims the monk sexually assaulted her multiple times beginning in 2013. The monk, affiliated with the Beldanga unit of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, has refuted the accusations, calling them a “conspiracy.”

The woman, in her complaint lodged at Nabagram police station, has alleged that Maharaj took advantage of her trust when she sought employment. She first met him in December 2012, when he reportedly promised her a teaching position at Chanak Adivasi Abasik Balika Vidyalaya, a school managed by the Sangha. She was offered accommodation in the hostel in January 2013, but says the monk soon began sexually exploiting her.

“However, he would almost every day take me to a room on the fifth floor of the premises and rape me,” the survivor stated in her written complaint.

According to her, the assaults continued across several locations run by the Sangha. She also recalled one instance when Maharaj allegedly summoned her to stay for five days at the ashram, during which he raped her repeatedly. The woman further claimed that Maharaj promised to send her money monthly and instructed her to return home.

Shocking Revelations from the Victim

In a particularly disturbing claim, she alleged that after becoming pregnant in 2013, she was coerced into terminating the pregnancy at a private facility in Berhampore. “He threatened me when I opposed the idea. In the presence of two (school) staff members, he spoke to a doctor at the nursing home and forced me to undergo an abortion,” she said.

Fearing consequences and overwhelmed by emotional distress, she kept silent for years. She also alleged that Maharaj threatened suicide if she disclosed the incidents or approached authorities. “He raped me across several branches of the ashram in Murshidabad. He kept promising me a job and I kept waiting. Eventually, I broke down mentally,” she said.

A renewed attempt to reach Maharaj earlier this month allegedly led to intimidation. The complainant claimed that she contacted him on June 12, after which she was instructed to wait in Berhampore on the evening of June 13. Two men, whom she believes are his associates, picked her up in a vehicle, verbally abused her, threatened her, and then pushed her out of the vehicle near a correctional facility.

Police officials confirmed that an FIR has been registered and that a case under relevant sections has been initiated. “A probe is on,” authorities said, noting that the complaint also expressed concern that other women might have endured similar abuse.

Kartik Maharaj Denies Allegations

Maharaj, however, strongly denies the allegations. “Time will reveal everything. This is a conspiracy against me to malign my name and fame. There are so many women employed in our ashram and many female disciples. Ask them. Everyone will say we respect women like our mothers,” he told The Times of India. Defending himself further, he added, “I am a sanyasi. Such obstacles are not uncommon in the life of a monk.” He also noted that his legal team would respond in court.

The case arrives amid heightened public outrage over separate incidents of violence against women in West Bengal. Most recently, a female law student in Kolkata accused two students and a staff member at South Calcutta Law College of raping her inside the institution. The case caused significant political friction between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), especially after images of one accused individual with TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee circulated online. The TMC denied ties to the accused and demanded strong action.

The state is still reeling from the memory of a separate tragedy in 2024, where a trainee doctor was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, prompting nationwide protests and demands for stronger safety measures in academic institutions.

Kartik Maharaj has also been a figure of political interest. In 2024, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had accused him of aiding the BJP during elections. In response, Maharaj served a legal notice seeking a public apology from Banerjee for allegedly damaging the image of the Sangha and its charitable work