News Analysis India

Tag: Mahant Narendra Giri

  • Shiv Sena demands CBI probe into death of Mahant Narendra Giri

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Targeting the BJP over the death of Mahant Narendra Giri, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said “Hindutva has been strangulated” in Uttar Pradesh and sought a CBI probe into the “mysterious death” of the top seer.

    The influential Hindu seer was found dead on Monday at Baghambari Muth in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.

    He was the president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad, the largest organisation of sadhus in India.

    Talking to reporters here, Raut said the reason cited for the seer’s death is suicide, but his followers feel that he was murdered.

    “Someone has strangulated Hindutva in Uttar Pradesh. There should be a CBI inquiry (into the seer’s death) the way we (Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra) did in Palghar,” Raut said.

    Referring to the lynching of two sadhus and their driver in Palghar in April 2020, Raut said the BJP had at that time said that Hindutva had been attacked.

    On April 16, 2020, a mob lynched two sadhus Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70) and Sushilgiri Maharaj (35) – and their driver Nilesh Telgade (30) at Gadchinchale in Palghar district, 140 km north of Mumbai.

    Recalling his party’s links with the top seer, Raut said he was associated with the Kumbh Mela and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and as a Hindutva organisation, the Shiv Sena received his blessings several times.

    According to Inspector General of Police K P Singh, Mahant Giri’s body was found hanging from the ceiling by his disciples.

    A purported suicide note of seven-eight pages was also found at the site in which the seer had written that he was mentally disturbed and was ending his life.

    The seer had written he was upset with one of his disciples, the police said.

  • Day after HC observation, activist urges Centre to pass law to declare cows as national animal

    By ANI

    DUNGARPUR: Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) President Mahant Narendra Giri on Thursday welcomed the decision of Allahabad High Court to observe cows as national animal and urged Centre to frame a law on the same.

    “I urge the central government to frame a law, present it in the Parliament and pass it so that when cows become a national animal people will respect them more,” said the ABAP President.

    This comes a day after Allahabad High Court observed that cows are an integral part of the Indian culture and suggested the Central government to give fundamental rights to the animal and declare it as the national animal.

    Welcoming the decision of the court, Giri said, “For us, cows are not animals, they are our mother.”

    He further stressed that “It is our responsibility to worship cows and serve them.”

    Highlighting the current state of cows in the country, he urged people to respect cows.

    “We are responsible for the state of cows today. We take care of them only as long as it gives us milk. This is wrong,” said the ABAP President.

    The Court’s observations came as a single bench of Justice Shekhar Yadav was hearing the bail application of a person named Javed who was arrested under the Cow Slaughter Act in Uttar Pradesh. The bail application was rejected by the court.

    Justice Yadav said that the central government should table a bill in the Parliament to give fundamental rights to cows. He further said that strict laws should be enacted to punish those harming the animal.