Swami Chaintanyanada held multiple identities over decades, had two passports: Police

Saraswati was born as Rudra Parthasarthy in Siliguri, West Bengal. Over the years, he dropped “Rudra” and began presenting himself as Dr Swami Parthasarthy.

New Delhi : The 62-year-old former chairman of a management institute in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj accused of molesting 17 students and initially identified as Swami Chaintanyanada Saraswati, lived under multiple identities for decades while working with prominent religious organisations, the investigation has revealed.

Chaitanyananda was sent to five days’ police custody on Sunday afternoon. (HT Photo)

Police said they have seized some documents and are trying to establish details of his name (at time of birth), father’s name and place of birth, even as his arrest on Sunday ended a two-month-long manhunt.

According to investigators, Saraswati was born as Rudra Parthasarthy in Siliguri, West Bengal. Over the years, he dropped “Rudra” and began presenting himself as Dr Swami Parthasarthy before finally styling himself as Swami Chaintanyanada Saraswati.

Officials said they believe that these shifts were not merely cosmetic, but deliberate attempts to mislead organisations he worked with and to access new opportunities.

After leaving Siliguri, Saraswati lived in Kolkata and Odisha before moving to Delhi around 2000, according to a senior police officer. He initially associated himself with the Ramakrishna Math, working there for four to five years. Police said he served under a senior figure at the Ramakrishna Mission and was later sent to head an ashram in Ernakulam, Kerala.

His stint there, however, ended in controversy. “However, he was asked to leave the Ramakrishna Math in 2001-02 after the organisation found that he was allegedly manipulating accounts of the ashram in Kerala,” the officer said.

By 2009-10, Saraswati became associated with the Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamthanam Dakshinamnya Sri Sharada Peetham. It was through this association that he was appointed chairman of the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management-Research in Vasant Kunj, the probe has shown.

Then the Peetham itself later filed a case against him earlier this year, accusing him of fraud. In an FIR lodged on July 23, the organisation alleged that Saraswati possessed two passports, each with different details. One listed his father as Dayananda Saraswati and mother as Sharadha Ambal. A newspaper clipping about his name change, however, identified his father as Swami Gahananandji Puri.

The contradictions also extended to his place of birth. An expired passport listed Darjeeling, West Bengal, while a newer document cited Thiruvelikani in Tamil Nadu. To complicate matters further, a journal published by a trust he allegedly set up described him as a citizen of the US, the FIR.

Several students told HT that Saraswati frequently claimed to be both a US citizen and a United Nations member. “These conflicting records show his intent to dupe institutions and individuals,” police said.

The Peetham also accused him of creating a ₹122 crore trust fund using diverted money and producing fake lease deeds, causing financial losses to the organisation.