A Mahant Commits Suicide, Disciple Booked For Abetment
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2021-09-21 15:59:44
About the Author
Mahant Narendra Giri, the chief of Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad, was found dead at his home in Prayagraj in an apparent case of suicide. A suicide note was found in which Giri blamed a former disciple for pushing him to take the extreme step. PM Modi, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, other BJP and religious leaders and Samajvadi chief Akhilesh Yadav, condoled his death. Yogi said that culprits who disturbed him so much that he ended up taking his life will not be spared.
Giri was a well-known figure in the Hindu Sant samaj and is credited to have worked for bringing the different akhadas together making them sink their differences. He leaves behind a huge setup but is reported to have left an indication in a will-type document about how it is to be settled.
Some months ago, Giri fell out with his protege and closest aide Anand Giri who was expelled from the ashram on accusations of fraud and financial mismanagement. Now, based on the suicide note left by the dead seer, the UP police have filed an FIR against Anand Giri and have arrested him. They say that the patch-up in which Anand sought forgiveness from the dead seer was an eyewash and he kept on harassing the latter.
The police also said that all evidence is being collected. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that a team of senior police officers was probing the case. Till now, apart from Anand Giri, two others have been arrested.
With Hindu religious bodies wielding immense political clout and controlling vast parcels of land among other immoveable and movable property, instances of fraud and financial misappropriation are coming out with increasing frequency. The tussle for control is also growing. Many such incidents are not even reported to the police and are settled internally. It is only in case of a tragedy like this that things come out in the open.
