Response from the Leadership of ISKCON Regarding the Assault by Ravindra Svarupa dasa
BY: MAHAPURUSHA DASA
Jul 12, 2012 — USA (SUN) — One of the main problems in ISKCON, as detailed in my article, "#OccupyIskcon", is a lack of checks and balances of power within our devotional society. For example, the ability to relay grievances to the leadership and our ability to remove corrupt leaders is completely non existent.
As can be shown from the letters I am presenting in this article, I tried to contact ISKCON Resolve about the Ravindra Svarupa incident, but their emails simply did not work, as is admitted by them in their letter to me. Devotees may fault me for going public with these allegations, but there was simply no other way to get the leaders' attention. And as can be seen from the official GBC website contact page, there is also no way to contact them. They claim to be working on it.
I have also included a letter from the GBC stating their investigation attempt that was sent to me. I am making it public because as of yet, no public statement has been made by them. I am also including my written responses to their letters. This is all being done in the pursuance of transparency, accountability and justice.
Dear Mahapurusha Prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
This is to inform you as to what is being done about the
recent allegations made against Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu.
The North American Exec Committee has empowered an investigation team to
address this issue. The individuals involved will be closely following
the Pastoral Abuse Policy adopted by the NA TPs and GBCs two
years ago.
Kuladri Prabhu (NASO Director) and I will be closely monitoring the
process as well as Praharana dd, who was intimately involved in
drafting the Pastoral Abuse Policy.
An interview has been conducted with Ganadharvika Prabhu and another
preliminary one with Ravindra Swarupa Prabhu too, pending further
inquiries by the investigation team.
Thanks for your concern.
Your servant,
Nityananda dasa, NA EC Chairman
Dear Nityananda dasa,
Thank you for your letter. I think that it is very important and necessary that your department immediately release a public statement. Many persons, especially those who are disciples of Ravindra Svarupa dasa, need to be informed about what is going on. It is also very important that this department inform the civil authorities as well. Any failure to do so will surely further damage the already severely tarnished public image of ISKCON and its leadership. It also very important to identify who these "individuals" are in the investigation team to guarantee transparency. Also, I feel that using the subject "3rd Party Allegations" in your email to others severely minimizes the legitimacy I my complaints.
Thanks again for your response and we are all waiting patiently for your reports.
Sincerely,
Mahapurusha dasa
Dear Mahapurusha dasa
Dandavats, All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
I am the co-director of ISKCON Resolve and it has come to my attention that you have written to Resolve without any response. I offer my apologies for our unintended silence. We are upgrading our website (long overdue) and an error resulted in emails sent through the website NOT be forwarded to either Braja-bihari or myself. Since our office is concerned with communications this is a most embarrassing and serious error. Our webmaster should have this link fixed shortly.
If you wish to communicate with Resolve please send an email to me directly. Again our sincere apologies with assurance that we shall try to avoid such events henceforth.
Yours in service
Brahmatirtha das
Dear Brahmatirtha dasa,
Thank you for your letter. It is certainly a very big failure of ISKCON Resolve. The official GBC website, on its communication link, says they are currently working on a way to communicate with them as well. You or I need to make this failure of communication public knowledge because devotees and leaders will certainly fault me for going the public route. But as you can see, it was only way because there was no proper channels of communication with the so-called authorities in ISKCON. If this type of communication failure was to happen at my job about something so serious, people would certainly be fired. But this is the crux of the problem: lack of proper checks and balances of power on the leadership in ISKCON.
It is very important that the leadership contact the civil authorities as well. Any failure to do so violates the Pastoral Abuse Policy and will also further damage our public image with devotees and the secular masses. I am very, very serious about this being addressed properly. As to date, no official statement has been given by the leadership in regard to the Ravindra Svarupa abuse investigation. This has to be done immediately.
Sincerely,
Mahapurusha das
