MAHENDRA CHAWLA.

▮ Identity sealed · POCSO §23

Prosecution witness, Surat rape case; Narayan Sai case

Panipat, Haryana

“Mahendra Chawla is a former personal assistant to Narayan Sai who survived a shooting attack in Haryana in May 2015 and testified successfully in the Surat rape case. The attack left him partially disabled, and he was later arrested in 2025 on unrelated fraud charges.”

Mahendra Chawla worked as a personal secretary, helper, and administrative assistant to Narayan Sai at various ashrams in Gujarat and Haryana. Having managed Sai's schedule and witnessed the interactions between the spiritual leaders and their disciples, Chawla became a key prosecution witness in the Surat rape trial. His decision to cooperate with the police in late 2013 made him a target for the cult's violent retribution campaign, prompting the state to assign him security.

On May 20, 2015, while Chawla was at his home in Sanouli village near Panipat, Haryana, two gunmen entered the premises and shot him multiple times. Chawla survived the attack but sustained severe spinal injuries that left him partially disabled. The investigation into the shooting revealed a serious security lapse: the police constable assigned to protect Chawla had temporarily left his post at the time of the attack. The shooting was later linked to the assassin Kartik Haldar, who had been contracted by the ashram network.

Despite his permanent injuries and ongoing threats, Chawla refused to retract his statements, and his detailed testimony was critical in securing the conviction and life sentence of Narayan Sai in April 2019. Chawla became a prominent advocate for witness safety, appearing in several media interviews and the 2025 discovery+ documentary 'Cult of Fear' to describe the brainwashing techniques used within the ashrams, including the 'Guru Geeta' and 'Guru Bhakti' rituals used to enforce absolute obedience.

Chawla's post-trial life remained turbulent. In early 2025, he was arrested by the Haryana Police on charges of fraud, forgery, and attempting to extort money from a local village head (sarpanch). This development drew media attention, highlighting the complex personal struggles faced by key figures in the case years after the trials concluded. Chawla continues to reside in Haryana under ongoing, though reduced, police surveillance.