Conflicting and spurious allegations regarding the alleged incidents of sexual abuse have been posted anonymously on the Internet and EVI is concerned to set the record straight. We make the following points:

• Neither alleged victims has ever taken law enforcement or legal action over the alleged childhood incidents.
• Both alleged victims claim to have previously notified EVI about the incident. Our inquiry determined that these claims were unfounded.
  
• The second alleged victim detailed psychological difficulties encountered as a result of the alleged abuse. Although under no legal obligation to do so, EVI responded immediately with an offer of help, including payment for professional counseling of the person’s choice. This offer was rejected. The person then demanded a large amount of cash, public apologies from persons uninvolved with the episode, and, finally, that EVI buy her a house. Later, the person’s attorney told EVI that the organization would have to pay dearly to buy the alleged victim’s silence. We found these actions disconcerting. Subsequently, EVI learned that the person had been simultaneously negotiating with the producers of Australian television’s “Sixty Minutes” to broadcast the story, who apparently turned it down. The person then began negotiating with the French Communist magazine “Combat Face Au Sida,” which advocates actions based on the recently passed “About-Picard” law. This law, which is considered to restrict freedom of thought, conscience and religion in France, has been strongly criticized by the US State Department, members of the United States Congress as well as by civil rights leaders worldwide. According to the Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, the law ” goes against freedom of association, expression, religion and conscience; it imperils the rights of minorities and creates prejudices incompatible with the notion of tolerance intrinsic to human rights.”

EVI spokesperson, Linda Gross, said that even after DUO had indicated that, to the best of its knowledge, Upadhaya was living in Buxar in the Indian State of Bihar, the alleged victims continued to make false and conflicting claims that DUO was harboring Upadhaya and had not revealed his whereabouts.

“Any statement that EVI harbored this man, and innuendo that EVI knew of and ignored the allegations of sexual misconduct are flatly false and defamatory. It is just not true,” Ms Gross said.