Niranjani Akhara rejects Mahant's suicide theory

The Niranjani Akhara, of which Mahant Narendra Giri was the chief, has outrightly rejected the suicide note of the deceased saint after terming it as fake.

Acharya Maha Mandaleshwar of Shri Panchayati Akhara Niranjani, Acharya Kailashanand Giri said that "It is not a suicide note but a conspiracy note."

Kailashanand Giri dismissed the purported suicide note allegedly written by Mahant Narendra Giri and said, "This is not a letter written by Mahant Narendra Giri as he never used to pen anything so elaborate... he only used to put his signature while dictating the content of the letter to someone else. I have closely read the letter many times and it contains some words that seem to have been written by someone else having a good command over the Hindi language. Also, a particular character is used with some words in the letter which Maharaj did not even know how and when to use."

Kailashanand Giri further said, "I have been very close to him during his lifetime and knew him well. This letter is fake and part of a larger conspiracy to cover his murder which has been committed over greed of land. Mahant Narendra Giri could never commit suicide as he was a roaring saint, who took a tough stand against fake godmen in the country and stood up to the repercussions. If he was under any pressure or needed money or there was any other issue, he would have shared it with me and with Ravindra Puri, the secretary of Niranjani akhara."

He said that there were several loopholes in the theory of suicide. "Why did the Mahant (Narendra Giri) not take the extreme step in his own room and why did he choose a room that he rarely frequented? Why was the door of the room where the body was found, forcefully opened? Why no one video-graphed the entire process of breaking the door and bringing the body down?" he asked.

Meanwhile, Mahant Balbir Giri, who has been named as Narendra Giri's successor in the suicide note, has also retracted his earlier claim that the handwriting on the alleged suicide note is that of the late Mahant.

"It is not his handwriting," he told reporters.

BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj has also debunked the suicide theory and said that the alleged suicide note was fake.

Meanwhile, a dispute seems to be brewing over the anointment of Mahant Balbir Giri as the new chairman of the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad.

Kailashanand Giri said, "Balbir Giri is my disciple and the mahant of the Akhara. The Akhara Parishad will hold a meeting and decide the issue as to who would succeed Narendra Giri."

Another senior member of the Akhara Parishad, who requested anonymity, said, "Balbir Giri is the only apparent beneficiary in the Mahant's suicide note. We should wait for investigations to reach their logical conclusion before taking a decision.

Balbir Giri, meanwhile, said that he was open to probe.