The incident in Vedic City is being reviewed internally to avoid similar events in the future. Early Tuesday morning, a Vedic Pandit was being escorted from the premises with the assistance of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to be returned to India for disciplinary reasons.

Other Pandits staying at the Iowa Vedic Pandit campus, who were upset with the decision, attempted to block the vehicle and an altercation involving damage to a squad car occurred.

According to officials, similar events have not taken place in the seven year history of the government approved cultural exchange, where Pandits from India come for two to three year tours for group meditation and Vedic performances. Pandits are trained in these traditional practices with affiliated organizations in India for 15 to 20 years before coming to Iowa for the program.