The chancellor of an institute in South Delhi, run by a religious group, allegedly sent lewd and inappropriate messages to women students and forced them to accompany him on foreign trips and to visit him in his room late at night.

The accused, Chaitanya-nanda Saraswati, who is in his 60s, is on the run, police said on Wednesday. An FIR was registered against him last month for sexual harassment , intention to insult modesty of women, and criminal intimidation.

At least 17 women, current and former students of the institute belonging to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), have alleged that Chaitanyananda made unwanted physical contact with them.

Raids are ongoing to arrest the accused, police said. The religious group that runs the institute has issued a statement “severing all t

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