Mumbai News: 11 Booked For Assault Over Video Seeking Money For Godman Event

A 42-year-old man has filed a case against 11 persons organising a godman’s events for allegedly assaulting him, his wife and two children over a video where one of them is allegedly demanding money for an event. 

The complainant, Nitin Upadhyay, is a resident of Jogeshwari East and works with a construction firm in Worli. He has been serving as the godman’s ‘sevak’ since 2017, and has been acquainted with one of the organisers of the event, Abhijit Karanjule, 29, since 2023. Karanjule introduced Upadhyay to event coordinator Mayuresh Kulkarni last year. 

Two months ago, a follower from Rajasthan, Ashok Sharma, contacted Upadhyay to inquire about the goodman’s event and got Kulkarni’s phone number. Kulkarni later contacted Upadhyay to say that his conversation with Sharma demanding Rs3.5 crore for the event has gone viral and he wants the video deleted. 

On May 9 at 10 pm, Karanjule, Kulkarni and nine others allegedly landed at Upadhyay’s home, asking him to get the video deleted. When he refused, he himself was forced to make a video claiming to have sought money for the event. As per the complainant, he, his wife and two children were assaulted by them when he refused. He also claimed that his household items, including the locker were ransacked.

On his complaint, a case has been filed under various Indian Penal Code sections for unlawful assembly, rioting, house trespass, causing hurt and breach of peace.