M A I N   N E W S

8 Kanchi Mutt officials questioned
Arup Chanda
Tribune News Service

Chennai, November 15
The Tamil Nadu police is likely to arrest some more persons in connection with the murder of Sankararaman, an employee of the Kanchi Mutt, whose Chief Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati is under arrest.

A senior police official said: “We have found the involvement of some more persons. Their arrests are likely to follow.”

Meanwhile, the police today searched the mutt and interrogated mutt staff. Devotees who visited the place, were also frisked in order to ensure that no incriminating evidence was tampered with.

The Kanchi Mutt manager, Mr Sunderesan, resented the police presence and alleged that they were harassing the devotees.

Sunderasan Iyer was among eight persons interrogated by the police Neelakanta Iyer, personal assistant of arrested Shankarcharya, “Neyveli” Krishnamurthy, Mutt accountant Viswanathan, typist Rajagopal, clerk Sethuraman, Mutt’s official photographer Ramu and Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Kalyana Mandapam Manager Viswanathan—were grilled one by one by the team, a report said.

According to sources, the brother of junior Shankaracharya, Raghu, is likely to become an approver in the sensational case but it is not known whether the police will arrest him or turn him into a favourable witness.

The junior Shankaracharya, Vijayendra Saraswati, is still continuing the “Trikaal pooja” at Mehboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh and will return to the Kanchi Mutt only on Wednesday.

He has demanded a CBI probe into the matter. After the Kanchi Shankaracharya’s arrest he has been provided with “Z” category security by the Andhra Pradesh Government as he had expressed a threat to his life.

The Tamil Nadu police is also probing into the fact that a helicopter was provided to the Shankaracharya by a Pune-based businessman and he had reportedly planned to use that helicopter to fly to Kathmandu in Nepal.

The Shankaracharya had come to know about the Tamil Nadu police plan to arrest him in connection with the murder of Sankararaman but had never imagined that the police team would swoop in so fast at Mehboobnagar.

The police also raided the offices of Jana Kalyan Samiti, a NGO formed by the Shankacharya, and seized a vehicle allegedly used by the murderers.

Talking to reporters Mutt advocate A. Shanmugham clarified that the police came to the mutt to issue summons to Mr Neelakanta Iyer and Mr Sundaresa Iyer.

Meanwhile for the first time, four days after his arrest on charges of murder, the Kanchi Shankaracharya claimed that he was innocent and the murder was “foisted” on him.

He told two Kanchi Mutt lawyers, Mr Thyagarajan and Mr Chellappa, who met him at the Vellore Central prison, 100 km from here, that he was falsely implicated in the murder case of Sankararaman and asked them to take all legal measures to defend him.

Mr Thyagarajan said the seer had no grievance about the treatment meted out to him in the jail. “Though he looked weary, he is in good health,” he said.

The lawyers said the Shankaracharya sent a message to his disciples, supporters, well-wishers and devotees of the Kanchi Mutt to carry on with their regular duties and pujas without being worried about his imprisonment or unnecessarily waiting outside the jail to meet him.

Mr Thyagarajan said that he had briefed him about the proceedings in the Madras High Court.

The Shankaracharya who had never imagined to spend time in jail seem to have now accepted the prison life.

A senior jail official said today: “He is keeping normal health and is being regularly attended by a team of doctors.”

The official said Jayendra Saraswathi’s pulse rate was 90 per minute while his blood pressure was 130/80 and his heart beat was also normal.

The Shankaracharya had porridge for breakfast, curd rice for lunch. He takes his dinner early and it is either “pooris” or “chapattis” with vegetables.

The 70-year-old seer is diabetic and was regularly taking the medicines and getting up early in the morning, he said. He then does his daily pujas after a hot bath.

The Kanchi seer has been confined to a closed prisoner’s cell, having a toilet and drinking water facilities, away from the general ones where other inmates are kept.

Being a “Z” category security person the jail administration has taken extra precautions for the Shankaracharya since some religious extremists are also lodged in the jail.

Except for being kept in isolation the seer is spending time like any other inmate. He is eating the same prison food and sleeping on the floor on a carpet and blanket.

Countrywide protests against seer’s arrest

New Delhi, November 15
In continued countrywide street protests against the arrest of Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati today, a 12-hour general strike, marred by stray violence, affected normal life in Kerala as the BJP-led NDA termed as “unfortunate” the manner in which the seer was apprehended in a murder case.

The strike called by the Hindu Aikkay Ved to protest the seer’s arrest drew total response in parts of Kerala with schools, colleges and markets remaining closed and offices reporting thinner attendance.

VHP leader J Sisupalan was among 71 persons taken into custody in connection with strike-related incidents as Vedi activists took out processions and held rallies across the state.

In Coimbatore, more than 60 prisoners went on a day’s fast to protest the action against Jayendra Saraswati. — PTI

Jyoteesh Peeth seer courts arrest

New Delhi, November 15
Badrik ashram Jyoteesh Peeth Shankracharya Swami Madhavashramji today courted arrest, along with hundreds of saints, at Rudraprayag in Uttaranchal in protest against the arrest of his Kanchi counterpart Jayandra Saraswati by the Tamil Nadu Police on charges of murder.

The Shankracharya further handed over a memorandum in the name of President A P J Abdul Kalam to the local SDM seeking unconditional and immediate release of the Kanchi seer, a release here said.

Swami Madhavashramji, who led a march from the historic Koteswar Mahadev Mandir to the District Collector’s office, was released by the district administration soon after his arrest.

The arrest of the Kanchi seer had given a heavy blow to the Indian culture, the Shankracharya said UNI.