India, Sept. 27 -- As a police officer, I have often said: Many crimes are not just tragedies, they are failures of prevention. The recent case of Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati alias Parthasarathy proves this point with painful clarity.

The swami, who served as the director of Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management in Vasant Kunj, now faces allegations of sexually harassing at least 17 students. Survivors allege he sent obscene messages, made unwanted advances, and threatened to fail those who resisted. He appears to have been a 'sleazebag' with compulsive sexual behaviour, apart from a multi-crore fraudster.

The most disturbing part? He had a criminal history. He was booked for fraud in 2009 and arrested in 2016 for molesting a st...