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Timeline of events relating to Lokanath’s child molestation case, and decades-long coverup by ISKCON’s highest leadership: the Governing Body Commission.

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1990

New Jersey, Lokanath’s Child molestation

Lokanath stayed with a family in NJ and molested their youngest child Satya several times over a week (during that week, Satya told her mom about the abuse).

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1990

GBC Resolution

GBC Resolved: “Suspected or confirmed cases of child abuse must be reported to local government authorities for investigation and/or prosecution.” https://gbc.iskcon.org/1990

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1992

Mukunda Swami

Satya’s brother-in-law told GBC member Mukunda Swami about the abuse.

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1993

Subcommittee
appointed

Instead of reporting abuse to law enforcement, per the GBC’s own Resolutions, the GBC appointed a 7-person subcommittee to investigate Lokanath’s abuse.

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1994

Ravindra Svarupa

Ravindra Svarupa pushed the victim for assurances that she would not report the abuse to law enforcement.

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1996

Initiations
resumed

Lokanath resumed initiating, after 2.5 year suspension (at this point he had about 400 disciples, he went on to initiate another 5,000 disciples between 1996-2021).

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1998

Formation of Child Protection Office (CPO)

ISKCON formed Child Protection Office (CPO) to handle child abuse

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2010

Satya’s compelling
public statements

Satya made compelling public statements re-asserting she was abused by Lokanath

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2011

“I sexually
abused her.”

Lokanath wrote admission letter in which he stated, “I sexually abused her.”

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2012

GBC secretly placed restrictions

GBC secretly placed restrictions on Lokanath, prohibiting him from initiating outside of India

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2017

GBC secretly lifts
restrictions

GBC secretly lifted restrictions that had been placed on Lokanath.

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1998-2021

CPO significantly
defunded

CPO significantly defunded, from $150,000 (1998) to $10,000 (2021)

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April 15, 2021

International
discussion

Confidential documents of Lokanth’s child abuse were shared on Facebook which started an international discussion in the Hare Krishna community.

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May 12, 2021

GBC changed its mind

GBC suspended Lokanath pending a CPO investigation, then secretly changed its mind 5 days later with no explanation.

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July 14, 2021

GBC cuts out CPO

GBC set up its own panel, cutting out the CPO, to look at Lokanath’s child abuse case to determine if the CPO should handle it (panel was supposed to meet for 60 days).

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To date

GBC repeatedly
blocks CPO

To date – this is the only child abuse case that the GBC has repeatedly blocked the CPO from handling.

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