Former ashram teacher Gauri Dasa, aka Gudakesa, used to beat the kids with slaps and sticks
The president of a Hare Krishna temple in Letchmore Heath (Gauri dasa) has been forced to resign after being found guilty of beating students in India.
 Gauri Dasa - Child Abuser |
Gauri Das, president of Bhaktivedanta Manor, in Hilfield Lane, inflicted "inappropriate and excessive corporal punishment", according to a report published this week.
The abuse occurred during his time teaching at the Vrndavana Gurukula school between 1991 and 2001.
The child protection branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), leading the investigation, refused to reveal the ages of the students involved or the extent of the abuse, but 17 former students and three adults have given statements against the temple leader, alleging abuse.
Following the findings, Gauri Das has been banned from serving in a position of leadership or teaching in temples for the next three years.
He has also been ordered to pay $3,000 to projects benefiting Hare Krishna children.
The first wave of allegations against Gauri Das was investigated in May 1995 by ISKCON. At the time, it acknowledged the beatings but said they were not “serious”.
After the founding of the organisation’s child protection branch, based in Florida, the investigation into Gauri Das was reopened in 2006, resulting in Monday’s report.
ISKCON has prohibited Gauri Das from serving in a position of leadership in temples for the next three years, also prohibiting him from giving classes.
A Bhaktivedanta Manor representative said: "We regret that Gauri Das will not be able to continue as an officer of our temple, but we also recognise the important need of the child protection office to acknowledge problems in the care of children in the past, and to address those issues.
Comment: The brief statement on Dandavats gives more space to the paragraph emphasizing his accomplishments than to the paragraph indicating his abuse of children, and of course comments are not allowed. I don't really care how much so-called service a child abuser has done, rather I consider it disservice. One cannot even guess what service would have been done by any children who may have been driven away by abuse. How many members of the innocent public won't take one of Srila Prabhupada's books because of ISKCON's reputation of promoting child abusers and other criminals? Instead of banning the whistle-blowers, we really ought to consider how much we want abusers among us. If we can't prevent child abuse in our schools, then for the sake of our children, our preaching efforts, and our own tender devotional creepers, I would say we should ask the abusers to chant Hare Krishna at home. I can hardly believe we're still dealing, or rather being confronted, with this kind of nonsense.
Gurukula Abuse Issue Makes Front Page Story
BY: ADITI KHANNA
Nov 11, LONDON, ENGLAND (EASTERN EYE) — Britain's first state-funded Hindu faith school is mired in controversy. Campaign groups Hindu Human Rights and Vivekananda Centre are worried about the involvement of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) as an affiliated faith partner of the school.
 Gauri Dasa - Child Abuser |
They are concerned about allegations that the President of Bhaktivedanta Manor in Watford - the biggest ISKCON temple in Britain - Gauri Dasa, hit children when he was teaching at an ashram in India. Dasa will be the spiritual head of the school’s affairs when it opens in Harrow in 2008.
Arjun Malik, spokesman of Hindu Human Rights, said: “We have received emails for a while now, expressing concerns about allegations that Gauri Dasa used to beat children. Parents will obviously not feel safe sending their children to a school which has such a man involved.” Mr Dasa claimed that corporal punishment was part of the disciplinary structure of ISKCON schools in 1970s and 80s.
He said: “All these allegations stem from an anonymous email sent out to some website. Its contents are full of half-truths.
“In the 1970s and ’80s corporal punishment was part of the disciplinary plans of ISKCON schools in India and the US. It was stopped over a decade ago.
“We run a very successful school as part of the Bhaktivedanta temple.”
Harrow Council has received £9.8 million in Government funding to build the first Hindu faith school. Hindu charity I-Foundation, which is setting up the school for the council, is awaiting approval from the School Organisations Com-mittee before it can begin building the school in Edgware.
Gurukuli Dasa, a former member of ISKCON’s Vrindavan ashram in India, claims in an article on www.harekrsna.com: “Asram teacher Gauri Dasa, formerly Gudakesa, used to beat the kids with slaps and sticks...”
Jay Dilip Lakhani is co-ordinator of Vivekananda Centre, an academic body that promotes Hindu studies in schools in Britain. Mr Lakhani said: “None of the allegations against Gauri Dasa have been proven, but ISKCON has a poor reputation due to the child-abuse lawsuits filed against it in the US.”
Ramesh Kallidai, secretary-general of Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB), is an initiated member of ISKCON. Mr Kallidai said: “Gauri Dasa is our spiritual ambassador. We are yet to see any hard evidence against him. We are glad ISKCON is associated with the first faith school.”
Nitesh Gor, spokesman for I-Foundation, said: “As for child-abuse allegations against ISKCON in the US, there have been paedophilia charges against the Roman Catholic Church as well, but that doesn’t mean the entire institution must be boycotted.”
'Violent' teacher - Gauri Dasa - still working at temple
Borehamwood & Elstree Times, UK/January 5, 2009
By Filip Hnizdo
A former religious leader found guilty of beating children continues paid work at a Letchmore Heath temple despite being banned from leadership and teaching roles.
In July, Gauri Das, former president of Bhaktivedanta Manor, in Letchmore Heath, was found responsible for inflicting "inappropriate and excessive corporal punishment" on students between 1991 and 2001.
Victims of the man's abuse have expressed "disgust" at an "insensitive" decision to continue employing him at the Hare Krishna temple.
Following statements given by 17 former students of the Vrndavana Gurukula school in India and three adults, the child protection branch of the International Society for Krishna Conciousness (ISKCON) banned Gauri Das from serving in a position of leadership and giving classes for three years.
Despite this ban, chairman of the temple's management board, Sruiti Dharma, admitted Gauri Das was working on various projects in a part-time role at the temple but did not say what these projects were, how much was being paid or if they were temporary or permanent.
Temple spokesperson Radha Mohan Das added there was "nothing controversial" about the employment and that it was in line with ISKCON's ruling as Gauri Das was not serving as an officer or leader.
Michael Powell, father of one of the students who gave evidence against the former religious teacher, said: "As a father of one of the children involved in the escapades I'm really surprised they've re-employed this guy. A lot of folks will view this decision with disgust.
"They won't reveal what he's doing or how much he is getting paid. They've just moved him to the wings for three years before they can re-instate him. There's certainly something fishy about it and it's not very nice at all."
The Borehamwood resident, who has been a member of the temple for 30 years, said: "He gets three years for child abuse and in three weeks he is re-employed. It beggars belief and is shameful. It doesn't take into consideration the sensitivities of the people involved.
"They advertised him as a spiritual head of the largest Hare Krishna temple in the UK but he's not fit to serve."
Comment: How can this issue become so complicated? Either CP is allowed or it is not. Gauri dasa used it. He is in violation. What more is there to investigate or discuss? What is most astounding to me is that ISKCON is allowed to maintain schools at all with their history of widespread routine child abuse/molestation. Legal secular authorities need to be alerted. All ISKCON schools should be forcibly closed.