A ‘V' mark seen on neck of Sant
Amidst chanting of mantras and following all the rituals Akhara Parishad chief Mahant Narendra Giri was given Bhoo Samadhi on Baghambari Gaddi Ashram premises under a lemon tree as per his wish, on Wednesday afternoon. Office-bearers of all 13 Akharas were present there at the time of the Bhoo Samadhi.
Prior to the Samadhi, his body was taken to the mortuary of SRN Hospital for post-mortem examination, and then was taken to the Sangam for bathing it with the sacred waters of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the Saraswati.
The mortal remains, placed in a flower bedecked lorry, were moved around the city to let people pay their homage to the Brahmaleen seer before the Samadhi.
Thousands of sants, disciples and devotees marched through the route raising slogans for the Mahant. The van was stationed at Bare Hanuman Mandir near the Sangam for Darshan. Narendra Giri was the Mahant of this temple.
Though the detailed post-mortem report is awaited, what had been briefed suggested that the the cause of death was suffocation. A ‘V’ mark was seen on the neck of the Mahant.
Under video camera watch, a panel of five doctors performed autopsy.
On the basis of the alleged suicide note Yoga Guru Anand Giri and the priest if Bare Hanuman Mandir Adya Prasad Tiwari have been sent to jail in judicial custody for 14 days while Sandeep Tiwari, son of Adya, whose name had also been mentioned in the suicide note, is still absconding. The SIT team is raiding different places to catch him, but according to reporters he keeps on changing his location.
The four gunners of the Mahant are also being interrogated at the Police Lines, and they will probably be placed under suspension. At present the gunners — Ajay Singh, Manish Shukla, Abhishek Mishra and Vivek Mishra — are in police custody. It is learnt that arrested Anand Giri had made mention of the name of Ajay Singh.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said on Wednesday that if it is a murder, the killers and conspirators will not at all be spared, and if it is a case of suicide persons responsible for this will be dealt with iron hands.
Surprisingly Balbeer, whose name had been suggested in the suicide note to replace the Mahant after his death, changed his statement on Wednesday. After the suicide note went viral, Balbeer first said that it was the handwriting of Guruji, but on Wednesday he said that he was not sure whether it was the writing of Mahant Narendra Giri. After going through the note, he had earlier declared him as the Mahant, but later said that this decision would be taken by the Panch Parameshwar of the Akhara.
Secretary of Akhara Parishad Hari Giri Maharaj termed the suicide note at “farzee” (fake) and said, when the suicide note is not genuine, how Balbeer can be declared as the next Mahant on that basis.