Renowned storyteller Pawan Dev Maharaj has become embroiled in a legal dispute. A case has been registered against him—on charges including rape, assault, criminal intimidation, and other serious offenses—following a complaint filed by a woman from Bihar’s Siwan district.
अयोध्या के कथावाचक पवन देव महाराज, देवकी नंदन ठाकुर के चेले पर लगे रेप और मारपीट के आरोप, FIR दर्ज, हुआ फरार
Pawan Dev Maharaj, a prominent religious storyteller from Ayodhya, has become embroiled in a legal dispute. A case has been registered against him—citing charges of rape, assault, criminal intimidation, and other serious offenses—following a complaint filed by a woman from the Siwan district of Bihar.
The woman alleges that the preacher promised to marry her, performed a wedding ceremony in a temple, but subsequently refused to acknowledge her as his wife. She further alleges that he misappropriated her jewelry and other belongings worth lakhs of rupees. The matter has sparked widespread discussion. The police have registered a case and initiated an investigation, examining the claims made by both parties.
Met at a religious event
According to the woman, she first met Pawan Dev Maharaj during a religious storytelling event held in West Champaran. Following their introduction, they began communicating regularly, and their relationship deepened. The complaint states that the preacher brought her and her son to Ayodhya. The woman alleges that she was subsequently raped and, when she resisted, was assured of marriage. She claims that after the temple wedding, she began living with the accused. In her statement, she recounted: “He said, ‘I will take you to my home; I will make you my wife; you won’t stay here.’ He then brought me to his house. His entire family—including his mother, his brother Anand Mishra, and his father Ramakant Shastri—was present there. He raped me and then performed a sham marriage.”
Allegations regarding money
The woman alleges that after the marriage, she trusted Pawan Dev Maharaj as a husband and provided him with financial support. She stated, “I was employed. Whenever he needed money, he would ask me for it. I trusted him because I believed he was my husband.” She also claimed that the preacher and his father later visited her home and took away some of her belongings. According to her, “He and his father, Pandit Ramakant Shastri, visited my house. They took away some of my clothes and other items.” “Later, he threatened to have me killed if I ever returned here.” In her complaint, the woman has also alleged that he withheld her jewelry and valuables worth approximately ₹10 lakh.
Allegations of separating the children and exerting pressure
In a subsequent statement, the woman alleged that she was subjected to constant pressure after the marriage. She recounted, “He said, ‘You are my wife now and must live with me.’ I insisted that I would live with my children as well, but he began pressuring me on this matter.” The woman claims she was later brought to Ayodhya along with her children and housed at the home of an acquaintance in the Devkali area. She said, “My children kept saying, ‘Mom, we want to go to Dad.’ Consequently, the children were sent back home, and I was summoned back later.” The woman states that she was subsequently gradually sidelined and left isolated.
Brother questions sister’s allegations
The case took a new turn when the victim’s brother, Vikas Srivastava, questioned his own sister’s allegations. He stated that the family does not agree with the woman’s claims and called for an impartial investigation into the entire matter. He alleged that his sister has been involved in disputes with various people in the past; however, these claims could not be independently verified. Meanwhile, Pawan Dev Maharaj is a resident of Malethu Kanak village under the Bikapur police station area and describes himself as a disciple of the religious storyteller Devkinandan Thakur. Police officials state that a case has been registered based on the woman’s complaint, and a thorough investigation involving all evidence, documents, and statements from both parties is underway. Further legal action will be taken once the investigation is concluded.
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