Leaders of the Hare Krishna faith last week began carrying out the terms of a $9.5-million settlement that closes the books on a long-running child abuse scandal.
Under the plan, the International Society of Krishna Consciousness organization has filed for bankruptcy in Los Angeles while it determines how to compensate 535 former students who say they were abused in the 1970s and '80s by adults at boarding schools run by the society.
The settlement covers abuses at Krishna temples and schools across the United States and India that resulted in a 2001 class-action lawsuit.
Some Hare Krishna devotees and gurus, including at least one in Los Angeles, were subsequently convicted of child abuse, and others were barred from visiting temples, said Anuttama Dasa, spokesman for the society.
The Krishnas also closed all the boarding schools in the United States, where much of the abuse allegedly occurred. Last week, the organization began paying off attorneys, accountants and others involved in the case, a first step in eventually making payments to the alleged victims.
"It's heartbreaking to know that many of our children were abused in some of our schools and communities," Dasa said. "Hopefully, this decision allows us to reach out to these young adults, these former students, and provide as much support as we can."
Though the scandal is far smaller in scope than the sexual abuse allegations facing the Roman Catholic Church, it has roiled the Hindu-based society with 100,000 members in North America and brought about much soul-searching.
The plaintiffs' attorneys had originally sought $400 million but say the settlement, though much smaller, is important because the organization admitted that widespread abuse had occurred.
"It's a kind of therapy," said attorney Windle Turley, who represented 95 of the alleged victims. "This bankruptcy, where the defendant explicitly apologizes and acknowledges their wrong, and arranged some compensation for the victims, is a type of validation that will have a strong therapeutic impact."
The Hare Krishna movement was founded in New York City in 1966 by Indian guru Srila Prabhupada. He preached about nonviolence, vegetarianism and celibacy under a theology known as "God consciousness."
His teachings won popularity during the counterculture movement of the 1960s and '70s. Movement members are best known for chanting "Hare Krishna," wearing saffron robes and shaving their heads.
