Police said a suicide note was found near the body of Narendra Giri. (file)
New Delhi:
A day after Narendra Giri, the head of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad – an apex religious body – allegedly committed suicide in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, three of his close aides have been detained for questioning, including one of his top disciples. Huh.
One of those detained, Anand Giri, was Narendra Giri’s dependent and closest aide until he was released in May. Anand Giri was reportedly kicked out of Pujari’s group on charges of fraud and financial mismanagement.
An apparent patch-up occurred a few days later, with a video showing Anand Giri apologizing at the feet of his mentor, but police suspect it was short-lived.
The two others who are being questioned are Sandeep Tiwari and Aadhya Tiwari, who stayed with Narendra Giri.
According to the police, his body was found by the students of Narendra Giri.
When he did not come out of his house for his traditional public meeting on Monday afternoon, his students knocked and found the door locked from inside. When they entered, they found him dead.
Police said that a suicide note was found near the body.
“We are reading the note. He expressed that he is upset. He also wrote what should be done with the ashram as a will,” senior Prayagraj police officer KP Singh told reporters on Monday.
Narendra Giri was an influential seer who was often seen with the top politicians of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also among the leaders who expressed grief over his death. “The passing away of Akhara Parishad President Shri Narendra Giri ji is extremely sad. While devoted to spiritual traditions, he played a big role in bringing together many streams of Sant Samaj. May God place him at your feet. Om Shanti.” PM Modi tweeted.
“The passing away of Mahant Narendra Giri, President of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad is an irreparable loss to the spiritual world. I pray to Lord Rama to grant his soul a place at his feet and give strength to his followers to bear this pain. Do it.” Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tweeted.
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