This story is from September 21, 2021

Mahant Narendra Giri, Akhara Parishad chief, found dead in Prayagraj

Mahant Narendra Giri, the president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), was found dead at Shri Matt Baghambari Gaddi in Prayagraj on Monday evening. He was 62. His body was found hanging from the ceiling inside a room.
Mahant Narendra Giri, Akhara Parishad chief, found dead in Prayagraj
Mahant Narendra Giri
PRAYAGRAJ/HARIDWAR: Mahant Narendra Giri, the president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), was found dead at Shri Matt Baghambari Gaddi in Prayagraj on Monday evening. He was 62. His body was found hanging from the ceiling inside a room.
Police claimed to have recovered a suicide note from his room. They also claimed that Mahant Giri has accused one of his disciples Anand Giri of ‘mental torture’ which forced him to take the extreme step.
Giri was the chief of ABAP which is the apex decision-making body of the 13 recognised Hindu monastic orders of the country.
Reports said some of Giri’s disciples alerted police about the incident around 5 pm on Monday. Senior police officials rushed to the spot thereafter. Taking a serious note of the incident, chief minister Yogi Aditynanath has sought a detailed report of the incident from the state home and police top brass.
Talking to TOI in Lucknow, ADG (law and order) Prashant Kumar said followers of Mahant Narendra Giri had brought his body down from the noose after breaking the doors before the police reached the site. Confirming that a handwritten suicide note has been recovered from scene, the ADG said: “He has accused one of his disciple, Anand Giri of mental harassment. We have traced Anand Giri to Hardiwar and a police team has been dispatched to arrest him.” He said the scene of the incident and the suicide was being forensically examined.
Sources said the suicide note runs into four sheets of paper o (written on either sides). In the suicide note Mahant Narendra Giri has stated that he had lived life ‘respectfully and wanted to die respectfully’ as well. The suicide note talks of his disciple Anand Giri having caused mental harassment to him. Informed sources said a major part of the suicide note is more of a ‘Will’ containing details like which disciple of his should get what.

In Hardiwar, Mahant’s disciple Anand Giri described the incident as a murder seeking a probe into the incident. Talking to reporters at his Ghaziwala village ashram minutes before he was taken into custody by the cops from Shyampur police station in Haridwar, Anand Giri said his name in the suicide note was a part of a conspiracy. “It should be probed how Mahant Narendra Giri, who usually never wrote more than a few lines at a time, wrote such a long note,” he said.
Notably, Narendra Giri was involved in a bitter property dispute with his junior Anand Giri a few months ago. The matter was later resolved supposedly in the presence of a senior police officer and two politicians.
Mahant Narendra Giri’s untimely death sent shock waves among his followers and fellow seers in Sangam city, Haridwar and beyond. A large number of his followers and devotees gathered outside the Baghambari Gaddi, where Mahant Narendra Giri lived during his stay in Prayagraj. The police had cordoned the streets leading to the gaddi and deployed forces from many police stations outside the Baghambari gaddi area. No one was allowed to enter the math premises except police and administrative officials.
Inspector General of Police, Prayagraj Range, KP Singh said the Panch of Akharas Parishad have been informed. The body of Mahant Narendra Giri will be sent for post-mortem examination after the Panch gather in Prayagraj on Tuesday. Thereafter the Panch will take a call on the last rites.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA