The Hindu : Protest over arrest of `mahant'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2002

Other States

Other States - Gujarat

Protest over arrest of `mahant'

By Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD July 16. The arrest of the `mahant' of the Saryudasji temple, Shivramdasji Ramanandi, here on the eve of the Jagannath rath yatra for allegedly possessing nine country-made pistols has been described by a section of the sadhus and sants as a "conspiracy". They have threatened to "take to the streets" if suitable action was not taken against the police officials responsible.

Taking up the cudgels on behalf of the `mahant' was his `guru' and president of the Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas, Ramchandra Paramhans, who has rushed here from Ayodhya.

Hepresided over a meeting attended by 500 sadhus and sants from all over the State. The meeting adopted a resolution to launch an agitation if the Government failed to do "justice" to the `mahant'. The agitation would be extended all over the country in support of the demand for suspension of the two police officials, who they said, were responsible for hatching a "conspiracy" against the `mahant'.

The Nyas president told the media that before coming to Ahmedabad he had called on the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, and in Gandhinagar on the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi. Both had promised to hold an inquiry.

Pleading innocence, mahant Shivramdasji, who was present, claimed that the police had "hatched a conspiracy" against him at the behest of the minorities and had deliberately planted the pistols in his `gaushala', some 20 km. away from here. Police picked him up from the temple well past midnight and took him to the `gaushala', where they claimed to have recovered nine country-made pistols. "I was not there nor am I aware of where the pistols came from, if at all any pistol was recovered from the `gaushala' owned by me."

The Paramhans said the conspiracy was an "insult" to Hindus. "It is a white lie that the `mahant' was involved in gun-running, and we must give a fitting reply to it."

He said that like Sikhs who kept `kirpans', the `akhadas' were keeping some weapons but not guns. If the `mahant' needed the weapons for security — as the temple in the Prem Darwaja locality of the walled city was surrounded by houses of members of the minority community — he would have sought a licence for the same.

He described the peaceful rath yatra as a "major success" for Mr. Modi and said that the Chief Minister had given a "fitting reply" to his critics. He was not blaming the Modi Government for the "conspiracy" against the `mahant' but hoped that Mr. Modi would take appropriate steps against the police officials responsible to "correct the insult to Hindus".

About the Ramjanmabhoomi temple, he declined to give any date for starting construction and said it was unfortunate that the Government had not released the undisputed land to start the work while the Nyas was ready to accept the court verdict on the disputed land. He was confident that if the BJP had a majority in the Lok Sabha on its own, the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, himself would join the `kar seva' to construct the temple.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

Stories in this Section

Protest over arrest of `mahant'

Waghela made GPCC chief