Self-styled ‘environmental activist’ Piyush Manush who is known for his vitriolic attacks on Hindus, particularly Brahmins, has been attacking Auroville relentlessly through his social media posts and external activities.
In his latest attack, he along with a few people, who seem like his supporters, assembled at the Inspector General of Registration office in Chennai, to file a complaint against IAS officer Jayanti Ravi who is the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation and IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti.
He claimed that 100 acre land reportedly worth ₹500 crores was given away for small change by Jayanti Ravi to the IIT director for a project. In the process, he made a casteist attack by using the word ‘ava’ to indicate that two people from Brahmin backgrounds were exchanging land at almost no cost and scamming people. He claimed the people living there donated their land and that Auroville was handing it over to industries.
He then claimed that the state was facing a loss of ₹50 crores because of the registration scam and that was the reason for their complaint and would work towards cancelling the land deal.
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The same group was also seen holding placards and ‘protesting’ outside IIT Madras campus. They claimed that an organic farm was destroyed, land was looted and a sustainability centre was being built.
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In reality, IIT Madras, led by Director V. Kamakoti, and the Auroville Foundation (co-chaired by Dr. Jayanti S. Ravi) are establishing a joint Sustainability Campus, an educational institution, spanning 100+ acres near the Sedarapet area in the Puducherry/Villupuram region.
The institution will focus on incubating green technology solutions, to harness cutting-edge green tech towards developing green energy solutions and electric vehicles, particularly for commercial applications and high-load carriers with long-range capabilities.
This is not the first time. Piyush Manush started his attacks against Auroville back in 2024.
Levelled ₹1,000-Crore Scam Allegations Against RN Ravi Without Public Evidence
In October 2024, he accused the then-Governor of Tamil Nadu RN Ravi, who chairs the Auroville Foundation, of orchestrating a ₹1,000-crore scam involving alleged land exchanges, contract awards and financial mismanagement. He claimed that valuable Auroville land was exchanged for lower-value rural parcels, resulting in losses of around ₹750 crore, and further alleged irregularities in central funds, governance changes and the removal of local workers. Manush also accused the administration of favouring BJP-linked contractors. However, he did not publicly produce documentary evidence supporting the allegations, and no independent reports have substantiated several of his key claims.
In July 2025, he posted another video making accusations against Jayanti Ravi and RN Ravi. He repeats the same allegations against them in the name of reporting while also enjoying the beach. He shows a forest region near the beach and accuses the two of ‘selling’ the land, casually comparing Jewish takeover of Palestinian land with evicting squatters at Auroville.
The posts surrounding Auroville were fairly few in 2024 and 2025. He also wrote a long post on how ‘Auroville was under threat’ again in July 2025. In the post, he called for people to join the ‘Auroville Action Group’ and mentioned a photo exhibition cum seminar to support Auroville.
2026
In March 2026, he shared a dramatic video about tree felling in Auroville. This video was a recording of trees being cut in Auroville which some were protesting, and these seem to include foreigners as well.
Here’s a defamatory image that he posted of Governor RN Ravi and Auroville Secretary Jayanti Ravi.
In April 2026, Piyush Manush was seen addressing a gathering talking about the various complaints filed with District Police, Villupuram. He stated that they were there several times before and had filed complaints against tree felling as well as assault on women, people in general, intimidation and environmental legal violations apart from ‘unauthorised destruction’ of property, illegal soil excavation etc.
Several of the complainants seemed to be squatters and foreign nationals. Another set of complaints against Sindhuja, Antim and Joel were also reportedly filed for ‘extrajudicial’ violence. They also stated that owing to ‘pushing really hard’, FIRs were registered and called for the arrest of the three aforementioned people.
Piyush is also seen addressing the media again accusing Jayanti Ravi and RN Ravi while also pulling in the BJP government needlessly.
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In May 2026, he shared a video of Youth Centre, Auroville. He claimed that the centre was being demolished. He claimed RSS did not like people live with nature, children doing woorwork, building tree houses etc. He claimed RSS did not like plurality. Thus, they destroyed the centre. However, the people featured in the video were mostly westerners and likely squatters.
In May 2026, he again posted a video about Antim, one of the people in the core committee. He claimed Antim was Jayanti Ravi’s ‘special person’. Saying so, he shared a selectively clipped video of Antim claiming he was attacking women, entered homes without permission, etc. He claimed Antim was the man who was the main villain who was responsible for mass cutting of trees in Auroville.
Sindhuja, who is on the side of Auroville administration, exposed the lie peddled by Piyush as an organised smear campaign aimed at making them stop what they are doing.
Exhibition In Chennai
In June 2026, Piyush was one of the key figures in organising an exhibition in Chennai titled “Auroville: An Experiment Under Threat” that was critical of the recent developments in Auroville as threats to its ecology and founding ideals. However, the event largely featured people who were ideological opponents of the current administration opposing implementation of Auroville’s long-pending master plan. Speakers alleged an RSS influence, citing Sanskrit-related activities as evidence. The event was attended by Dravidianist filmmakers Vetri Maaran and Raju Murugan, and YouTuber “Minor.” Missing from the discussion was the administration’s position that the master plan fulfils The Mother’s original vision for Auroville’s development.
The Pattern Behind The Protests
Taken together, Piyush Manush’s campaign reveals a consistent pattern. Every attempt to implement Auroville’s long-delayed master plan is met with a fresh round of allegations, protests, press conferences, social media campaigns and legal complaints. From unsubstantiated ₹1,000-crore scam claims to tree-felling controversies, demolition narratives, land transfer accusations and now objections to the IIT Madras Sustainability Campus, the target has remained the same: the current Auroville administration and its efforts to execute the township’s original master plan.
Ironically, the very vision that people like Piyush claim to be defending, that of The Mother, envisaged Auroville as a fully realised international township, not a permanently frozen settlement resistant to development. If every road, public institution, infrastructure project and administrative decision is met with orchestrated resistance and sensational allegations, the question is no longer whether Auroville is under threat. It is whether a sustained campaign of obstruction has made implementing The Mother’s vision itself the greatest challenge facing Auroville today.
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