A Delhi-based Muslim Yoga teacher, Sohail Ansari, who has been accused of inappropriately touching his female students in his videos on social media, issued a public apology addressing the allegations on Saturday.
Ansari, who claims to be a certified and experienced Yoga instructor, emphasised his professional background, including his representation of India in the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and his numerous international accolades in Yoga.
In his Instagram post on March 29, Ansari expressed remorse and said that his intention was not to hurt anyone’s sentiments. He further said that if someone has an issue with any of his videos, he will delete them.
"I am an advanced Yoga teacher. I represented India in Common Wealth Games in 2010. In recent years I have won several gold medals on an international level. I have been teaching Yoga for the last 15 years. I have a diploma as well as a master's degree from Uttarakhand Sanskrit University Rishikesh. People come to me to learn advanced Yoga and most of them are Yoga teachers themselves...I am hurt after receiving some messages and threatening calls which indicated that some of my videos on social media have hurt their sentiments. My intentions are not to hurt anyone's sentiments or feelings. I apologise from the bottom of my heart if I have hurt people's sentiments. If any of my videos have hurt your sentiments, message me on Instagram and I will delete those videos…," Ansari said in the post on Instagram.
Ansari's apology sparks mixed reactions
However, Ansari's apology sparked mixed reactions among netizens, with some (seemingly his students) offering support while others continued to level accusations of misconduct. Some even resorted to threats against him, demanding the closure of his yoga classes and the deletion of his Instagram account.
The controversy escalated further following a public appeal on X by @bageshwardham, calling for the closure of Ansari's yoga classes. @bageshwardham accused Ansari of posting objectionable videos featuring women on his official Instagram account, sparking outrage among citizens.
“Sohil Ansari, the Yoga teacher who teaches in Delhi's Lodhi Park is indulging in obscene acts by posting objectionable videos of women from his official Instagram account. To end this nuisance, we have issued a public appeal for the closure of his yoga classes. The way he is misbehaving with our sisters and daughter cannot be tolerate,” said @bageshwardham in a post on X.
Despite the backlash, Ansari maintains a significant presence on Instagram with over 2,000 posts and a substantial following of 145,000 users. He continues to conduct yoga sessions openly at Delhi's Lodhi Park, presenting himself as a fitness model, Yoga guru, and international Yoga champion on his social media platform.
