Karnataka: Complaint filed against Sadguru for displaying snake at event

A complaint has been filed against the founder of Isha Foundation, Jaggi Vasudev, popularly known as Sadhguru on Saturday for allegedly trapping, transporting and displaying a rat snake at an event in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur. Strict action is demanded against Sadhguru for his alleged destruction of wildlife.

In a complaint filed by Prithivi Raj CN, board member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(SPCA), with Chikkaballapur taluk’s deputy conservator of forests (DCF), it is mentioned that the snake which was displayed at the event was not handed over to the forest official. “This complaint is with respect to Sri Sadhguru Founder of ISHA foundation violation with respect to the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The Respected Sadhguru was displaying an illegally captured, inappropriately stored RAT snake for N no of days which is protected under Schedule 2 of the WLPA. The Snake was displayed under blazing lights on the stage in front of a crowd by Sri Sadhguru. This happened between the 9th and 10th of October 2022. The Snake was not handed over to the Forest Department till date”, read the complaint letter.

Prithivi Raj also accused the Isha Foundation of several attempts to destroy forests by encroaching on forest lands in Tamil Nadu. On October 9, Sadhguru attended an event at Chikkaballapur to announce the new centre of the Isha Foundation in the state. A 112-feet tall statue of Lord Shiva is also under construction at the new centre. Meanwhile, the team of Isha Foundation clarified that the snake was not trapped or transported to the venue. A post in the official Twitter handle of Isha Foundation read, “A snake entered at Chikkaballapur during Naga Pratishtha. For the snake's & people's safety, Sadhguru handled it gently & asked it be left safely in a nearby forest. It was neither trapped/transported/ harmed in any way. Police at the venue were aware of the incident.