The Ghaziabad guru, who allegedly abducted an MBA graduate to forcibly marry her, is a member of the ministry of labour and employment's central advisory committee, says a Mail Today report.
The police on Monday issued look- out notices against Anup Kumar Sahai alias Swamiji, 40. The godman — who is married and has a seven- year- old daughter — had allegedly abducted 25- year- old Priyanka Srivastava from Raj Nagar in Ghaziabad on February 15.
“Sahai is a co- opted member of our advisory committee on cine workers. He was appointed on the personal recommendations of a former minister of state ( MoS), Suryakant Patil, of the previous UPA government,” a highly placed official in the ministry said.
The ministry has now initiated termination proceedings against Sahai. Directorgeneral of labour welfare Anil Swarup, who is in-charge of such committees, could not be contacted despite several attempts.
Sahai's elder brother, Ashutosh, who allegedly helped him in the abduction, served in the capacity of an officer on special duty in Patil's ministry. Ashutosh is currently posted as under- secretary in the Union government. Patil was an MoS in the ministry of rural development and ministry of parliamentary affairs ( exofficio member). He was an NCP MP from Hingoli parliamentary constituency in Maharashtra.
Sahai — who had never worked for any cinema association or the industry, and had no knowledge about it — somehow managed to get into the ministry's committee.
“Co- opted members are usually appointed on the recommendations of ministers. Sahai was possibly helped by his elder brother in his appointment,” the ministry official said.“
These members are not authorised to use red beacon light cars, as Sahai used to. The administration should have acted on this,” he added.In Ghaziabad, the police are going all out to nab the alleged kidnapper.
They have issued look-out notices to all international airports, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.“ We have issued the notices so Sahai can't escape from the country. Several teams have been dispatched to various areas to hunt for him,” A. K. Vijeta, SP ( City) said.
The girl's family said Priyanka had gone to a Mother Dairy booth in Sector 7, Raj Nagar, on February 15 around 5.30 pm, but didn't return. “ Sahai said he wanted to marry my daughter and was constantly putting pressure on us. He threatened to abduct her if she did not agree to the proposal,” Priyanka's mother Sudha said.
On March 5, the Kavi Nagar police registered a case of kidnapping under Sections 363, 366 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code against Sahai and Ashutosh. Sahai's visiting card, inscribed with an Ashok Chakra, that was seized from his house in Vijay Nagar claimed he was the director of Centre for Excellence in Vedic Research & Foundation.
The guru also owns a Dayanand ashram in Rishikesh, the police said while Sahai lived in N- block in Sector 12, Pratap Vihar in Vijay Nagar, his wife and daughter were staying at his mother's home in Gorakhpur.
