| Of dubious holy men and their murky ways |
Print this story |
The arrest of Hindu pontiff Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi on a murder charge renews the spotlight on the seamier side of religion where money, power and sex litter the path to god.
The arrest of Hindu pontiff Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi on a murder charge renews the spotlight on the seamier side of religion where money, power and sex litter the path to god.
In a deeply spiritual country with multiple faiths and sects, religion has over the years been a convenient hideout for criminal elements, with police records chronicling scores of murders, rapes and robberies by and for men in holy garbs.
Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi of the Kanchipuram monastery has been accused of hiring killers to finish off his former accountant Sankara Raman, who was allegedly on the verge of spilling the beans on financial corruption in the management of the mutt in Tamil Nadu.
In the world of moneyed ashrams, political swamis and self-proclaimed Sufi babas, this is not a first.
Like Kanchipuram -- one of India’s seven holiest Hindu sites with nearly 300 temples -- cities abundant in temples have been found to be the den of criminal activities like drug smuggling, sex trade and land grabbing.
Whenever gullible people can be exploited by people of divinity, money is under no control, says Sanal Edamaruku of the Indian Rationalist Association.
It is big business; huge amounts of money coming down generations is handled by a few people without any accountability or transparency, which creates situations in favour of criminal activities.
Edamaruku, who has spent years exposing fraud by so-called godmen, cited a decade-old case of killing of four students in an ashram in southern India. The students had been helping in the accounts department.
Swami Premananda is in a Tamil Nadu jail for a case involving big money, murder and rape.
Similarly Swami Sadachari is jailed in New Delhi for various activities including blackmail and running a brothel. The once-powerful swami, who even performed rituals at a prime minister’s residence, was nabbed only when he fell out of favour with those in power.
Another godman is Chandra Swamy, widely seen as an influence peddler and whose links with VIPs in India and abroad have stirred much controversy. Although he was recently exonerated by courts on charges of forgery and criminal conspiracy against a former prime minister, his lifestyle is often seen as epitomising the dark side of organised religion and its flirtation with activities that render it suspect before law and society.
Police officers say similar crimes are rampant in other faiths too. For instance, Jesuit priest Father Clement Kujur was arrested on a sodomy charge in Orissa last year.
According to Maulvi Muazzim Ahmed of the Fatehpuri mosque, there have also been instances in his own community.
These miscreants are primarily impostors. It is the responsibility of religious leaders to carefully ascertain people before involving them in such activities, Ahmed said.
A senior police officer said: Mutts, ashrams, waqf boards and ecclesiastical organisations handle an enormous amount of money, which provokes crime. Nobody wants to question them because they also enjoy political clout.
In Uttar Pradesh’s small but politically volatile temple town of Ayodhya, there are some 8,000 religious orders, in which priests are directly or indirectly said to be involved in crime. Many are reportedly on the run from law.
According to reports, at least 100 swamis face criminal charges in Ayodhya, the town Hindus believe is the birthplace of their god Ram.
These activities are more or less caused by a constant fight for control of land and power.
In Hardwar, sadhus are alleged to be involved in not only land grabbing but also selling of drugs.
Three years ago in the same city, six people, including a woman, died in a clash between sadhus, apparently over the woman who was living with one of the sadhus.
Police officers say religious shrines often prove to be a good refuge for criminals escaping the law. Matted hair, a long unkempt beard and long robes are a dis
guise that can serve well at least for a few years.
The kind of lifestyle they lead is completely different from the austerity prescribed in the scriptures, it gives our tribe a bad name, said priest Lakshmi Narayan Shastri of the Lakshminarayan Temple, popularly known as Birla Mandir.
--Indo-Asian News Service
|
| Politicians blocking sand mining project: experts - Nov 22, 2004 12:43 IST |
|
Politicians were trying to stymie a mineral sand mining project that could generate precious revenue for Kerala, experts have alleged.
Experts say a proposed mineral sand mining project in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, which Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has shelved following widespread protests, will not harm the environment.
The private Cochin Minerals and Rutiles Ltd (CMRL), along with the state-owned Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IREL), had received sanction this year for mineral sand mining at Alappuzha. The beach sand reportedly contains rich deposits of minerals like ilmenites, rutile, zarcon, garnet and monazite.
|
| Tourism boom creates imbalance in hotel demand, supply - Nov 22, 2004 12:43 IST |
|
India’s tourism industry is booming like never before this season, with hotel rooms at several major destinations, including the national capital, going for hefty premiums owing to supply constraints.
The country in fact, hopes to finally cross the three million mark this year with inflows of 2.6 million tourists till October. In volume, the growth in tourist traffic this year is over 25 percent and in value around 40 percent, said a tourism ministry official.
The travel industry has reported business growth of anywhere between 20-70 percent this year following an increase in airlines’ capacity and consequential growth in tourist traffic.
Thus, for those who like to travel at a whim, this is certainly not the time to do so, warn industry bigwigs.
|
| Kashmir solution stares one in the face - Nov 22, 2004 12:39 IST |
|
Every recent visit by an Indian prime minister to the troubled state of Kashmir has infused new hope into the situation.
While Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s earlier trip paved the way for what has been described as the first free and fair elections in the state since 1977, his successor Manmohan Singh’s visit has the makings of the opening of a new chapter mainly as a result of his decision to begin withdrawing troops from the state.
Arguably, even more than the Rs.240 billion ($5.3 billion) package of assistance promised by the prime minister, it is the departure of the soldiers that will be welcomed by the local people.
|
| South Africa seen as India’s rival in outsourcing - Nov 22, 2004 12:38 IST |
|
South Africa may emerge as India’s rival in business process outsourcing, thanks to its better infrastructure, low labour costs and cultural advantages.
The number of call centres in South Africa will double in four years, says a study, South Africa: An emerging offshore location, conducted by Britain-based independent market analyst Datamonitor.
Offshore agent positions are also expected to quadruple from the current levels, says the report made available to IANS. Agent positions are terminals from which call centre operators make and receive telephone calls to internal or external customers. Multiple agents can use the same agent positions during varying shifts in a day.
|
| Radio helps reach out to Indian expatriates - Nov 22, 2004 12:37 IST |
|
An attempt to reach out to the Indian diaspora via the airwaves of Australia is drawing attention as an encouraging success story.
Indian expatriates in Australia can hear their own languages on the air - even if only for a few hours each week.
Australia officially argues that community radio initiatives can play a role in enhancing the mutual understanding and cooperative spirit that underpins the tolerant and harmonious Australian society.
|
| South Africa 230/4 at stumps - Nov 21, 2004 13:27 IST |
|
South Africa Saturday were 230 for four at close on the opening day of the first cricket Test against India at the Green Park Stadium here.
Andrew Hall (78) and Boeta Dippenaar (46) were together at stumps.
|
| Muslim leader opposes Kanchi seer’s arrest - Nov 21, 2004 13:25 IST |
|
All India Muslim Personal Law Board general secretary Maulana Syed Nizamuddin flayed the arrest of Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi.
|
| Manmohan wins Manipur hearts amid shutdown - Nov 21, 2004 13:23 IST |
|
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday sought to win hearts in Manipur with promises of peace and development and was loudly cheered even as a boycott call by rebels ensured a shutdown in most parts.
|
| Manmohan launches historic Manipur railway project - Nov 21, 2004 13:21 IST |
|
Till Saturday, bizarre as it may sound, the northeastern state of Manipur had a mere 1.5 km of rail track.
|
| Jubilation as Manmohan hands over historic Kangla Fort - Nov 21, 2004 13:17 IST |
|
Hundreds of people in India’s troubled northeastern state of Manipur shed tears of joy as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday formally handed over to the local government the historic Kangla Fort, a symbol of Manipuri culture and pride.
|
| Give up arms, Manmohan urges Manipur separatists - Nov 21, 2004 13:15 IST |
|
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday appealed to all separatist groups in Manipur to give up arms and open peace talks with the government.
|
| Bohra cleric goes missing - Nov 21, 2004 13:11 IST |
|
A leading cleric of the Bohra sect has been missing for two days, police said.
Amil Saheb Abdul Qadir, 28, an influential figure of the sect, went missing Thursday while returning to Surat from Mumbai by Ajmer Express.
|
| India hopes to bid for 2016 Olympics: Manmohan - Nov 21, 2004 13:9 IST |
|
India hopes to bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Saturday.
We are hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games and would like to bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, the prime minister said while addressing the ninth convocation of Manipur University here.
|
| Manmohan reaches out to Manipuris, urges rebels - Nov 21, 2004 13:7 IST |
|
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday called upon militant groups to shun violence and talk peace during a hectic day-long visit to Manipur when he launched work on its first railway network, and promised to review a controversial anti-terrorist law.
|
| Hall leads South Africa’s charge in first Test - Nov 21, 2004 13:5 IST |
|
Andrew Hall scored an unbeaten 77 to help South Africa to 230 for four after Anil Kumble threatened to spin the visitors out on the first day of their first cricket Test match against India at the Green Park here.
|
| HDFC hikes home loans rates by 50 basis points - Nov 21, 2004 12:59 IST |
|
Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), the country’s largest housing finance company, Saturday announced an increase of 50 basis points in its floating interest rate on home loans.
|
| Manmohan extends healing mission to Manipur - Nov 21, 2004 12:55 IST |
|
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday extended his healing mission from Jammu and Kashmir to Manipur as the people of the insurgency-hit state defied a curfew imposed by an underground outfit and came out in large numbers to cheer him.
|
| Advani, BJP fast for Shankaracharya - Nov 21, 2004 12:54 IST |
|
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president L.K. Advani Saturday observed a day’s hunger strike against the arrest of Hindu pontiff Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi even as the party snapped ties with Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK over the issue.
|
| Madras High Court declines Kanchi seer bail - Nov 21, 2004 12:54 IST |
|
A Madras High Court judge Saturday rejected the bail application of Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi, while another judge posted for Monday a state plea to extend his police custody by one more day.
|
| 60 percent vote for Madhya Pradesh urban bodies - Nov 21, 2004 12:52 IST |
|
Amidst stray incidents of violence, between 60 to 65 percent of voters Saturday cast their ballots for electing representatives to the 144 urban bodies spread across Madhya Pradesh.
|
|
|
|
|
