Narendra Giri's Death | Land Deals, Blackmail: What led to Guru-Shishya Fallout

Video Producer: Shohini Bose

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj

Narendra Giri, 62, president of Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad allegedly died by suicide on 20 September, 2021. A suicide note accusing Anand Giri, a disciple of Narendra Giri, and two others has surfaced. The 13-page suicide note has also accused Anand Giri of planning to use a morphed picture to discredit Narendra Giri.

Prayagraj police has constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the high-profile "suicide" case. The 18-member SIT team will be led by Ajeet Singh Chauhan, circle officer (IV) in Prayagraj. Mahant Narendra Giri's post-mortem will conducted on Wednesday following which his mortal remains will be laid to rest.

Narendra was made mahant of the prestigious Baghmbari Gaddi Math in Prayagraj in 2004. His clout in the seer community increased manifold with time and was in his second term as President of Akhil Bhartiya Akahara Prasishad after he was again chosen to lead the apex decision-making body of the 13 recognised Hindu monastic orders of the country.

FROM FAVOURITE DISCIPLE TO RIVAL

Anand Giri, 40, a native of Uttarakhand was a member of Niranjani Akhara. He was accused of violating customs of seer community and was shown the door from the Akhara earlier this year. His Guru, Narendra Giri, had also accused him of misappropriating funds received in temple donations for personal use. Once considered to be Narendra Giri's blue-eyed boy, Anand Giri, after his ouster from Niranjani Akhara, drew sword against his Guru in what is seen as a power struggle with the state of affairs at Baghmabari Gaddi Math at centre.

Anand Giri had chosen Narendra Giri as his Guru in 2000. Anand got associated with Baghmabari Gaddi Math in 2005. In the seer community, Anand, favourite disciple of Narendra was seen as successor of Baghambari Gaddi. However, tension began to escalate between the two and it reached its tipping point earlier this year when Anand went all guns blazing against his guru Narendra Giri.

In a public tirade, Anand accused his guru Narendra of being involved in murky land deals including an 8 bigha land owned by Baghmabari Math that was sold for Rs 40 crores to a Samajwadi Party leader in 2012. He also accused Narendra to be the mastermind behind the suspicious death of Niranjani Akhara secretary, Ashish Giri, in 2019.

However, after the intervention of seer community, a compromise was struck. In a video, Anand was seen falling at the feet of Narendra. The latter also withdrew his allegations against Anand. As against what was being made to believe, the tensions between the two were far from over.

ANAND GIRI: SWANKY LIFE STYLE, ACCUSED OF MOLESTING WOMEN

Most of the pictures of Anand Giri available in public domain hint at how the seer was different from others in the community who, despite huge assets and earnings, maintained a modest lifestyle in public domain. From seen riding in expensive cars, to enjoying scotch in a chartered plane (though he later claimed it was apple juice), and getting snapped at picturesque locations across the world, Anand, barring his attire, was not the conventional sadhu.

In 2019, Anand was arrested in Australia after he was charged with molesting two women in two separate cases that took place in 2016 and 2018 involving a 29-year-old and 34-year-old woman respectively. He was later let off by a local court.

Anand has again landed in troubled waters. He was arrested by UP police from Haridwar on Monday and was brought to Prayagraj for interrogation after a suicide note, believed to written by Narendra, blamed Anand and two others for his suicide. Sources claim Anand was blackmailing Narendra using a video where Narendra is allegedly seen in compromising position with a woman.