Three days after Narendra Giri Maharaj’s death, local BJP leaders’ names surfaced. BJP and its supportive media that created a ruckus on a saint’s death in various states are mute on Narendra Giri’s death. Uttar Pradesh is gearing up for upcoming elections and at such juncture, the ruling party cannot afford any controversy that will dent their Hindutva and Saffron agenda.
Mahant Narendra Giri, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, was harassed by local leaders and his men in the ashram, they wanted huge funds and lands from the saint. Mahant was mentally harassed and abetted to suicide told local police officer under the condition of anonymity. This dispute between politicians and Mahant was going on for a long time.
Narendra Giri was found dead in his room at the Baghambari Math in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Monday evening. The 72-year-old went to his room after lunch but did not respond when disciples knocked on the door or called him on his cell phone repeatedly later in the evening. When his disciples broke the door open and entered the room, they found the seer hanging from the ceiling with a nylon rope. The UP Police are viewing it as a prima facie case of suicide. Prayagraj police say a suicide letter has been recovered from the seer’s room.
The letter read: “I lived with dignity, will not be able to live with insult”
Pramod Pandit Joshi of Hindu Mahasabha told Afternoon Voice, “The most respected Narendra Giri Ji Maharaj’s death has a bigger mystery than what meets the eye. To hide the role of a local political leader who pressured him to sell the land, misinformation is spread to save the image of BJP in the state. This is a political murder.”
Police have detained Yoga Guru Anand Giri in the case, who was named by the seer in his reported suicide note. Apart from Anand Giri, Adhyay Tiwari and his son Sandeep have been taken into custody for questioning. Adhyay is the priest of the Bandhva Hanuman temple in Prayagraj. Meanwhile, the Baganbari Math has been sealed and an investigation is going on.
According to sources, three persons including Additional SP OP Pandey, BJP leader Sushil Mishra and a Samajwadi Party leader Induprakash Mishra are under scanner as they had mediated in a striking truce between late seer Mahant Narendra Giri and his disciple Anand Giri.
Prior to his detention, Anand Giri told the media, “Guruji was not the kind of person who would commit suicide, he was tortured over money. This is a huge conspiracy against me. An unbiased investigation should be conducted.”
In the 7–8-page long letter, the seer also wrote that he was upset for a number of reasons and thus decided to end his life. UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya assured the media that all possible angles will be probed by the police.
