The Sliema council has asked the authorities the clarify allegations about Sri Chinmoy.

The council is currently considering the removal of a statue of Mr Chinmoy after a petition signed by nearly 500 people drew attention to several longstanding allegations of sexual abuse levelled at Mr Chinmoy by female followers.

It said that if the authorities did not present it with clarifications by the end of the month, it would seek legal advice.

The council also called on the authorities to urgently carry out a proper due diligence on this organisation and help clarify the matter.

The statue was installed last week, with the local council’s clearance, by Unesco Malta at the end of an international peace initiative, the Sri Chinmoy Peace Run.

Before his death in 2007, Mr Chinmoy was the spiritual leader to thousands of devoted followers worldwide, professing a modern spiritual system based on inner peace and self-realisation. He was also nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his commitment to world peace, and honoured after his death at the United Nations in New York, where he had for decades held meditation sessions for delegates.

However, several former disciples have claimed that they were sexually abused by Mr Chinmoy, who allegedly operated his centres as a cult, banning consumption of alcohol, caffeine and meat, as well as secular education and socialising with outsiders.