Mahant Narendra Giri, one of India’s most influential Hindu seers, died on Monday, September 20, 2021. Mahant was found hanging in his Allahabad’s Baghambari Math in the evening around 5:30 pm.
On recovering a seven-page suicide note, the UP Police treated the death as a prima facie case of suicide. However, the CBI has now taken over the matter.
The disciples of the seer found him hanging from the ceiling with a nylon rope when they broke open the door.
According to the disciples, Giri went to his room after lunch but did not respond to door knocks and calls later in the evening.
In response to this, the disciples broke open the door and found Giri hanging. Giri had left a handwritten suicide note blaming his disciple Anand Giri for his suicide.
In the recent past, Giri was embroiled in a property issue with Anand. The police had arrested Anand Giri and are looking deeply into the matter.
Who Was Mahant Narendra Giri?
Mahant Narendra Giri had an influential position as the head of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad.
The Parishad is a conglomerate of 13 recognised Hindu Monastic orders called Akharas spread across the country.
Mahant Narendra Giri belonged to the Niranjani Akhara and had spent his early years in Haridwar. Niranjani Akhara is the second largest of all the Akharas.
The Niranjani Akhara that worships the deity Kartikeya was initiated somewhere in the mid-1980s. Mahant Ji has headed Allahabad’s Baghambari Math since 2004. Giri was also the chief priest in the Allahabad city’s Bada Hanuman temple.
After the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Nirmohi Akhara in the Ram Mandir case, Giri is supposed to have played an active role in constructing money for the temple.
After Giri became the chief, the Akhil Bharatiya Parishad took an immoderate stand on several matters.
Under his guidance, the Parishad passed a resolution to oppose animal slaughter. Mahant Narendra Giri was always vocal on religious and political issues.
What Are Akharas?
The word Akhara means ‘Wrestling Area’, in the context that they are the boarding institutions for ascetics.
The seers of the Akharas identify themselves as the militant defenders of the Hindu faith. Nirmohi Akhara, one of the institutions affiliated with the Parishad, was one of the main parties to the Ram Mandir dispute.
Mahant Giri’s Death Controversies
Mahant Narendra was found hanging at Baghambri Math Allahabad on September 20, 2021. However, there are some controversies related to his death.
Suicide Version Controversy
Giri’s death has run into controversy since the police are treating the matter as a prima facie case of suicide.
The presence of a handwritten suicide note adds weight to this version. Giri had blamed Anand Giri in the suicide note, owing to their public fallout.
However, according to the reports, the dispute was resolved after Anand Giri apologised to Narendra Giri, so there could be another angle.
Anand Giri himself stated, “Guruji was not the kind of the person who would commit suicide. There is a huge conspiracy over money, and an unbiased investigation should be held”.
Suicide Note Controversy
There have been doubts about the handwritten suicide note that Giri allegedly left behind. In the suicide note, Giri had mentioned that he was mentally disturbed and was ending his life.
Giri also stated the construction of a Samadhi in the suicide note. People are claiming that Giri did not know how to write.
Those who know Giri also claim that he could not even write a single line or sign properly. He only used to write temporarily and typically worked with signatures.
These statements have raised questions on the suicide note.
Amidst all this, Professor Mahesh Singh, the man who claims to be the uncle of the Mahant, stated that “Giri was educated. Before becoming Mahant, he used to work as a clerk in the Bank of Baroda in Jaunpur”.
Professor Mahesh’s statement has added more questions to the matter.
It is noteworthy that Mahant Giri had also written his will in the suicide note with the names of the people troubling him. However, the police have recovered the suicide note and taken it under investigation.
Recent Updates on the Matter
In the most recent update, police are probing the suicide note and the video recorded by one of the seers at the Baghambari Math.
The police are examining the CCTV footage from outside the room where Giri was found hanging.
The police team is also investigating a video recorded by the seer before his death. The content of the video is similar to that of the suicide note.
In the video, Giri mentioned the names of the people allegedly troubling him. The video is under investigation by the police.
CBI Probe
A 20-member team from CBI headquarters Delhi investigated almost 20 seers at the Baghambri Math on Saturday, September 25, 2021.
Another group of CBI also met the SIT team on the same day. The CBI visited the seer’s room on Sunday, September 26, 2021, to recreate the crime scene.
CBI is also probing a cyber fraud FIR complaint made by the seer on September 6, 2021. The CBI will match the signatures of the seer in the FIR with those found on the alleged suicide note.
Giri made an online FIR at Daraganj Police Station owing to a fake Twitter account created in his name. The CBI has taken the copy of the FIR out of the records to match the signatures.
The FIR will also give the CBI an idea about those harassing Giri. The CBI team will remain in Prayagraj for about ten days and will stay in police lines guest house.
Local media reports claim that the police could not protect the crime scene from being contaminated.
The crime scene is a crucial aspect in collecting forensic pieces of evidence. By the time the police reached, there were several people on the crime scene.
Several people also handled the alleged suicide note before its police possession. However, CBI has probed into the matter to ensure a transparent and swift investigation.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had assured that the seer’s death is under probe and the guilty will be punished.
