The Sliema local council will consider whether to request the removal of a statue of Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy, installed close to Balluta last week, following allegations about the “cult leader’s” past.

The council had initially raised no objection to it.

The statue on the Sliema promenade was inaugurated by members of the Sri Chinmoy organisation last Thursday during a ceremony attended by Parliamentary Secretary Chris Agius and Unesco representatives.

The ceremony marked the end of an international peace initiative called the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run.

In the last 48 hours, however, some 250 people have signed a petition demanding the removal of the statue on the basis of several allegations of fraud and sexual abuse of female followers levelled at Mr Chinmoy.

The controversial statue of Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy on the Sliema front.

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.

The plaque accompanying it.

When contacted, Sliema mayor Anthony Chircop said that the council had not been involved in the plans for the monument but was informed of them in late December and advised the organisation to seek Mepa approval.

The council raised no objection during the application process, as a similar initiative had taken place in Sliema in the past.

“Given what we were told, it seemed a genuine and a positive peace initiative,” Mr Chircop said. “With what has emerged since then, however, it may be necessary for us to reconsider.”

Given what we were told, it seemed a genuine and a positive peace initiative

The council will discuss the matter at a regular scheduled meeting this evening, and Mr Chircop said he is ready to recommend the removal of the statue should the council decide it “does not justify its aims”.

Malta was declared the world’s first Sri Chinmoy Peace Blossom Nation during a visit by Mr Chinmoy himself in 1998, when a plaque was also unveiled in his honour in Sliema. During last week’s peace run initiative, members of his organisation visited schools and met with President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and Speaker Anġlu Farrugia, among others.

Parliamentary Secretary Chris Agius did not respond to questions about the statue yesterday, as he was out of the country. Representatives of the peace run initiative in Malta could also not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.

Following claims that the project lacked the necessary planning permits, a Mepa spokesman confirmed that the installation was covered by a development notification order.