A day after Narendra Giri, the head of a top religious body - Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad - allegedly died by suicide in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, three of his close aides have been detained for questioning, including one of his top disciples.
One of the detained men, Anand Giri, was Narendra Giri's protege and closest aide until they fell out in May. Anand Giri was allegedly thrown out of the priest's group over allegations of fraud and financial mismanagement.
There was an apparent patch-up a few days later, with a video showing Anand Giri seeking forgiveness at the feet of his mentor, but the police suspect it was short-lived.
The two others who are being questioned are Sandeep Tiwari and Aadya Tiwari, who stayed with Narendra Giri.
According to the police, Narendra Giri's students found his body.
On Monday afternoon, when he did not come out of his home for his traditional public meeting, his students knocked and found the door bolted from inside. When they broke in, they found him dead.
The police said a suicide note had been found near the body.
Advertisement"We are reading the note. He expressed he was upset. He also wrote what should be done with the ashram after his passing, in the form of a will," senior Prayagraj police official KP Singh told reporters on Monday.
Narendra Giri was an influential seer, seen frequently with top politicians of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the leaders who expressed grief at his death. "The death of Akhara Parishad president Shri Narendra Giri ji is extremely sad. While devoted to spiritual traditions, he played a big role in connecting many streams of Sant Samaj together. May the Lord give him a place at your feet. Om shanti," PM Modi tweeted.
Advertisement"The death of president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad, Mahant Narendra Giri, is an irreparable loss for the spiritual world. I pray to Lord Ram to provide his spirit a place at his feet and give strength to his followers to bear this pain," tweeted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tweeted.
