An FIR has been registered against the Jyotirmath shankaracharya, locked in a tussle with the Uttar Pradesh government over his alleged insult and assault at the Magh Mela, on the charge of sexually abusing a minor girl.

A police officer in Allahabad, who didn’t wish to be identified, said additional district and sessions judge (Pocso court) Vinod Kumar Chaurasiya directed the registration of a case against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on an application moved by Ashutosh Brahmachari.

“We registered the case at Jhusi police station and started an inquiry into the allegation,” he said.

Hailing from Shamli in western Uttar Pradesh, Ashutosh was initiated as a sadhu in 2022 by Swami Rambhadracharya from Chitrakoot. Rambhadracharya is often seen boasting of his association with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

Avimukteshwaranand said he was expecting many such cases against him for speaking out against the “anti-Hindu government”.

The Jyotirmath shankaracharya has been a strong critic of the BJP-led government on issues ranging from the management of the Kumbh Mela to the consecration ceremony of the “half-built” Ram temple in Ayodhya.

“The man who has filed the case against me is himself a criminal in police records and belongs to the BJP. Undeterred by such intimidation, I’ll continue fighting against the anti-Sanatan politicians. Everything will become clear in court soon,” he said.

Avimukteshwaranand had staged a dharna on Triveni Marg after the police and the Magh Mela administration asked him to step out of his palanquin and approach the Sangam on foot to take the holy dip on Mauni Amavasya on January 18. He had also alleged that over a dozen youths carrying saffron pennants tried to attack him in the Sangam area on January 24.

The state government had served a notice to Avimukteshwaranand after the scuffle and asked him to prove his credentials as the shankaracharya.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said: “It is a shame if the complainant is a disciple of Rambhadracharya. My government had withdrawn a forgery case against Rambhadracharya. It was a mistake on our part to withdraw the case.”