Saintly sins: asaram bapu faces evictiona

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Aug162007/national2007081619452.asp
Saintly sins: Asaram Bapu now faces eviction drive

From Abhay Kumar, DH News Service, Patna:



In a major setback to the revered guru Asaram Bapu, the Supreme Court has upheld the Patna High Court order to remove all illegal encroachments from the premises of the famous Bhikamdas Thakurbari located in Kadamkuan area of the State capital.

The two judge SC bench, comprising Justice H K Sema and Justice L S Panta, dismissed the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by Asaram’s representative Mahant Sarvesh Das, after being convinced that the HC order was in public interest.

Deccan Herald had carried a report — Sinful acts land saint in soup on August 13, 2006 — which had described how Asaram, who had a huge following across the world, had usurped 13 kathas of land and property worth Rs 2 crore in Patna.



His ashram was being run in an unlawful manner as the Thakurbari was illegally occupied by Asaram Bapu and his disciples on the basis of the forged document obtained from the ousted Mahant Sarvesh Das.

Asaram’s representative had challenged the Patna High Court order in Supreme Court on the ground that the High Court had exceeded its jurisdiction in a civil appeal by asking the Bihar State Board of Religious Trust (BSBRT) to take over the Bhikamdas Thakurbari and restore its lost glory.

As the Supreme Court upheld the Patna High Court order, Asaram Bapu and his disciples are now left with no option other than to vacate the prime land within a week.

Chairman of the BSBRT Kishore Kunal has said that Justice Uday Sinha (retired), whom he had appointed as the sole trustee of the Thakurbari, will take over the management of the temple.

Fourth child found dead in Asaram Gurukul

http://www.timesnow.tv/Newsdtls.aspx?NewsID=12519

One more student at Asharam Babu Ashram in Chhidwara of Madhya Pradesh was found dead under mysterious circumstances during the past 48 hours. The first death, of a four-year -old boy, was reported on Tuesday (July 29) evening. This has triggered a fresh controversy about the functioning of the Ashram.

In the first incident, the body of Ram Krishna Yadav a nursery student of residential school Ashram was found on Tuesday evening in the Ashram's bathroom. Krishna was enrolled in the residential school on July 11th this year. However Krishna's parents ruled out any foul play. His father, a practicing lawyer from Mumbai, said that that was their fate, probably Almighty wanted it this way.

The police also ruled out any foul play and said that the boy probably slipped over on the bathroom floor, injuring his head.
However, with the death of another boy, the Ashram is back in controversy. Four and a half years old Vedanta Manmore was found dead in Asharam's bathroom. But this time the body was found in small plastic tub full of water. The senior police officials have reached the Ashram. The police said that the exact cause of the death can be ascertained only after the autopsy report.

Earlier this month, two cousins aged 11 and 12 years, studying in a school run by the Asharam babu Ashram in Ahmedabad were found dead in mysterious circumstances. The incident had triggered violent protests by the locals.

Meanwhile, situation is turning tense in the Ashram area. Thousand of curious people from the township thronged on the Parasia road Ashram when this news spread in the area like wildfire. These people gheroed the Ashram and shouted slogans against the Ashram demanding impartial inquiry into the deaths.

Another mystery death in Asaram centre

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080059422&ch=7/30/2008%2010:16:00%20PM
Asaram Bapu is one of India's most well-known spiritual gurus, but over the last couple of days he has been in the news for mysterious deaths of children at his spiritual centres.

After the bodies of two children from Asaram Bapu's centre in Ahmedabad were found in the bed of the Sabarmati river, close to the centre, another mystery death has been reported at a school run by him in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

A four year old nursery student was found unconscious by his fellow students and died on the way to hospital.The ashram says it's an accident but not everyone is believing that.

"Two children came running to us and informed that Ramkrishn Yadav has fainted in the bathroom , we went there and found him in unconscious state .We took him to a private hospital where he was declared brought dead. There are 370 students in my school," Lavkesh Sharma, doctor in the gurukul.

No case has been filed yet. The body has been sent for post-mortem and the police say the cause of the death will be known only after it.

Unlike the Ahmedabad deaths, this time around the parents of the boy who live in Bombay have refused to press charges against the ashram.

According to them it's fate and have reposed their full faith in their guru.

"We are investigating the case , real cause will be known only after post-mortem," said Vinod Srivastava, the police inspector.

Last week there were angry clashes between Asaram Bapu's followers and those pointing fingers at him. Angry crowds also attacked journalists reporting the incident. This latest incident only adds another twist to the tale.

Another mysterious death of boy in Asaram Bapu ashram

http://india.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=138637
Ashram boy mysteriously dies again

Mysterious deaths of two little boys in three days at Asaram Ashram in Chhindwara, MP and four deaths in one month has drawn the probing eyes of police, administration and activists on Asaram ashram, supposed to be the haven for little boys..

FIVE-year-old Vedanta headed towards the toilet on Thursday ( July 31), thoughts of death were nowhere on his mind. He was found in the toilet by his fellow students at 6:15 pm. His head in a bucket of water. He was declared dead at the hospital.

It was the second death in three days at the Asaram Ashram in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh. Two days ago four-year-old Ramakrishna Yadav was also found dead in the hostel bathroom. Vedanta was found next to the toilet in which Yadav was found dead. The door was bolted from the outside.

Mysterious deaths of students have become a way of life with Asaram Ashram. On July 3, two students of the Asaram Gurukul in Ahmedabad went missing. Their bodies turned up in the Sabarmati river on July 5. The deaths created a furore. The two dead boys were cousins and their fathers went on indefinite hunger strike, which they inexplicably withdrew.

The deaths are now being probed by the criminal investigation department (CID).

Surprisingly, Vedanta’s father has not lodged a police complaint because he is believed to have said he does not suspect foul play. This is the face of police statements that they have found evidence of foul play.

"Prima facie evidence has established it is a case of foul play," RK Shivhare, SP Chhindwara has been quoted in the media as saying; MR Krishna, IG Jabalpur Range has said that the police are waiting for the post mortem reports of both the deaths. "The matter is serious and will be probed at a high level," he was quoted as saying. A magisterial probe has been ordered by Chandrashekhar Neelkanth, additional district magistrate (ADM).

As the news of the death of the second boy in Chhindwara Ashram spread, the discerning public thronged to the ashram. A fight broke out between the supporters of the ashram and the protesters of the deaths. The police was forced to resort to lathi charge and fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

Meanwhile, fearing for the lives of their children, a number of parents took their children away from the ashram. The ashram has a total of 371 students. Social and political activists are now baying for blood.

And all the parents of the dead boys want is justice. But, by the look of things the moon might be easier.

Reported in the media as an erstwhile mechanic in a cycle shop, Asharam is the spiritual guru of the chief minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi. This, by and large makes him god. And gods, as we all know, can do no wrong.

The reasons for the boy’s deaths could be political. They could very well be a ’teach you a lesson’ move. They could be something altogether different.

As the saying goes, ’darkness is thickest under the lamp’. Fundamentalism and perversion are two sides of the same coin. And paedophilia is no longer a banned word.

Minor found dead in Asaram Bapu Ashram in MP

Minor found dead in Asaram Bapu Ashram in MP http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Minor_found_dead_in_Asaram_Bapu_Ashram_in_MP/articleshow/3305976.cms CHHINDWARA: A four-and-half-year-old boy has been found dead on the premises of Asaram Bapu Ashram, barely a month after the mysterious death of two minor cousins in a school run by it in Ahmedabad. The body of Ram Krishna Yadav, a nursery student, was found last evening in the Ashram's toilet, police said on wednesday. "Information has been communicated to the parents of Yadav and we are awaiting their return from Mumbai to perform the post-mortem," Superintendent of Police R K Shivhare said. According to police, Ashram children could not go out and play last evening due to heavy rain. Some children then spotted Ram Krishna, son of one Mohan Yadav, lying in a nearby toilet. The children informed Ashram warden and the authorities took Yadav to a local nursing home where doctors declared him brought dead. A case has been registered and further investigations are on, they said. Early this month, two cousins, aged 10 and 11 years and studying in a school run by Asaram Bapu Ashram in Ahmedabad were found dead in mysterious circumstances, sparking protests by the local residents. The protests by Ahmedabad residents had turned violent. The protesters had clashed with Asaram's followers, who had attacked media persons.

Boys die at asaram bapu ashram

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080801/jsp/nation/story_9631266.jsp Boys die at ashram

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Bhopal, July 31: Two children have died in three days in a school at Asaram Bapu’s ashram in Chhindwara, a Madhya Pradesh district 130km from Nagpur, less than a month after similar deaths in Ahmedabad. Ram Krishna Yadav, 4, was found unconscious in a school bathroom on Tuesday and died on the way to hospital. Chhindwara superintendent of police Rajendra Shivhare had ruled out foul play. Today, five-year-old Vedant was found dead, again in the bathroom. “It is not an accident or a coincidence. I am not in a position to say anything as investigation is on. The post-mortem report of the earlier incident has not come,” Shivhare said. The police are suspecting Vedant’s death to be murder because the bathroom door was bolted from outside. “It was not closed from inside,” an officer involved with the probe said. A large crowd of angry residents gathered at the ashram late tonight, and police had to use batons and tear gas to disperse the protesters. On July 6, two students of a gurukul in Asaram’s ashram in Ahmedabad were found dead in mysterious circumstances. The boys’ family — the two were cousins — blamed Asaram, a former cycle shop mechanic who is now the spiritual guru of Narendra Modi and L.K. Advani.

Another schoolboy dead in asaram bapu ashram

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=f0d265ef-74a9-47e1-81c8-fc610ccdc82e&MatchID1=4736&TeamID1=8&TeamID2=6&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1194&MatchID2=4727&TeamID3=2&TeamID4=3&MatchType2=1&SeriesID2=1191&PrimaryID=4736&Headline=Another+ashram+schoolboy+dead&strParent=strParentID

Yet another student was found dead in Asaram Bapu Ashram school in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, on Thursday. The ashram is already under the scanner due to the discovery of the body of a four-year-old boy, Ram Krishna Yadav, near the hostel toilet on Tuesday. Earlier this month, two more students of the ashram’s Ahmedabad branch were found dead.

Like Ram Krishna, Vedant Manmode, 5, was found in the hostel bathroom. Ashram inmates rushed him to hospital, where he was declared dead. School doctor Lokesh Sharma said Vedant was found with his head in a bucket of water, leading to suspicion.

The police haven’t lodged a complaint as the boy’s father, who hails from Maharashtra, said he didn’t suspect foul play.

But Chhindwara SP RK Shivhare said: “Prima facie evidence has established it is a case of foul play.” IG (Jabalpur Range) MR Krishna said post-mortem reports in both cases were awaited. “The matter is serious and will be probed at a high level.”

Additional District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Neelkanth has ordered a magisterial probe. As the news spread, a mob attacked the school and parents rushed in to get their children. Social and political activists were up in arms.

In Ahmedabad, the discovery of the bodies of Deepesh and Abhishek Vaghela, aged 11 and 12, from the Sabarmati riverbed had triggered widespread violence.

Asaram Bapu hostel officials booked for negligence

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/asaram-bapu-hostel-officials-booked-for-negligence_10078844.html

Bhopal, Aug 1 (IANS) A case of negligence was registered against a residential school run by spiritual leader Asaram Bapu in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara town Friday, a day after a five-year-old boy was found dead in a bathroom in the hostel premises, police officials said. A probe has also been ordered into the incident by Rewa’s additional district magistrate Chandrashekhar Neelkanth. A special medical team from Bhopal is meanwhile being sent to Chhindwara, 275 km from here, to look into the medico-legal aspects of the child’s mysterious death.

According to the police, Vedant Kumar was found unconscious in the bathroom of the ‘gurukul’ in Parasia Road locality in Chhindwara - the second death of a student in the school in the past three days.

On Tuesday evening, another five-year-old, Ramkrishna Mohan Yadav, was found dead in similar conditions in the gurukul.

The deaths of the two children sparked anger among Bhopal residents, who took to the streets Thursday demanding the ashram’s closure. They pelted stones at the hostel building and the police had to use force to disperse the mob.

On Friday, many parents came to see their children studying in the school and a few even took them back home.

Two students Deepesh Vaghela, 10, and his cousin Abhishek Vaghela, 11, of a gurukul run by Aasaram Bapu’s ashram went missing July 4 in Ahmedabad. Their bodies were found from the nearby Sabarmati riverbed July 6. Allegations of shoddy police probe led to widespread protests and clashes in the city.

2nd boy dies in Asaram Ashram, lathicharge on protesters

http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=459291&sid=NAT

Zeenews Bureau Chindwara, July 31: In a shocking incident, yet another 5-year-old student was found dead in the Ashram of Asaram Bapu in Chindwara, Madhya Pradesh. The child Vedant was found under mysterious circumstances in the bathroom with his head drowned in a bucket of water. He died while being taken to hospital. The incident is all the more shocking because barely a day ago one more four-and-half-year-old boy had been found dead on the premises of Asaram Bapu Ashram here, hardly a month after the mysterious death of two minor cousins in a school run by it in Ahmedabad. The body of Ram Krishna Yadav, a nursery student, was also discovered in the Ashram's toilet. School doctor Lokesh Sharma told reporters that Vedant had probably gone early to wash his hands and legs and in the process fell down. He said Vedant's head was in a bucket full of water leading to suspicion about the cause of the death. Vedant was found around 1815 hours in a bathroom next to the toilet from where Yadav's body was found, he said. Sharma expressed suspicion that an "evil spirit" (devil) has entered into the premises resulting in such incidents. This is the third incident of its kind in the Ashram- run school after the mysterious death of two minor cousins in Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, the father of the deceased Lal Krishna Malpande belonging to Haveli village in Pune district of Maharashtra has been informed of the incident. Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Chandrashekhar Neelkanth has ordred a magisterial probe into the incident. Meanwhile the police lathicharged on a group of protesters who were demanding the closure of the Ashram.

Another student found dead in Asaram Bapu’s school

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/another-student-found-dead-in-asaram-bapus-school_10078457.html
Bhopal, July 31 (IANS) A five-year-old boy was found dead Thursday in the bathroom of a residential school of spiritual leader Asaram Bapu in Chhindwara town of Madhya Pradesh, the police said. This is the second death of a student in the school in the past three days. According to police, Vedant Kumar was found unconscious in the bathroom of the ‘gurukul’ in Parasia road locality in Chhindwara town, 275 km from here.

On Tuesday evening, another five-year-old, Ramkrishna Mohan Yadav, was found dead in similar conditions in the gurukul.

A large number of people, many of them anxious parents, gathered outside the school but were not allowed by the authorities to meet the students. There are 371 students studying in the school.

“We will arrange the meeting of children with their parents and guardians as soon as the situation normalises. We are worried that clashes may occur in the town as has been the case in Ahmedabad, where two children died in mysterious circumstances,” Deputy Inspector General of Police K. Beaphay told IANS.

Two students Deepesh Vaghela, 10, and his cousin Abhishek Vaghela, 11, of a gurukul run by Aasaram Bapu’s ashram went missing July 4 in Ahmedabad. Their bodies were found from the nearby Sabarmati riverbed July 6. Allegations of shoddy police probe led to widespread protests and clashes in the city.

“Apparently both the deaths appear to be accidental and no injury marks have been found on the body of either child. We are, however, inquiring into the matter,” the official said.

Hindu priest becomes "impure" after travelling abroad

Conservative Hindu leaders in the pilgrim town of Udipi in Karnataka are seeking to prevent a monk from heading one of the country's most popular temples saying he had become "impure" because he had travelled overseas, according to a news report by Reuters.
The news report adds that even Gandhi was excommunicated when he went to England to study law....Read full news item here...

Now another Indian politician questions historicity of Ram

After Tamil Nadu chief minister, another Indian chief minister  Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has questioned the historical existence of Ram, the Hindu God.http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1134600
Buddha questions existence of Lord Ram

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has stoked another controversy by questioning the existence of Lord Ram.

"Ram was born in the imagination of poets and Ram Sethu is a natural formation under the sea," Bhatacharjee told a meeting to mark the 15th anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid on Thursday.

He said the Sethusamudram project was being opposed by the Sangh Parivar on religious ground, but it was vital for economic development of the region.

Reacting to Bhattacharjee's remarks, state BJP general secretary Rahul Sinha on Friday said the remarks were an attempt to appease the Muslim vote bank after the fiasco in Nandigram.

"Ram is a matter of faith and Communists had always hated godmen. Even they spread calumnies against Tagore and Swami Vivekananda," he said.

Bhattacharjee's remarks came months after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's similar remarks on the existence of Lord Ram which had generated a country-wide controversy.

Where is proof Ram built bridge, asks Karunanidhi

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/217566.html
Chennai, September 16: Though the Centre has decided to withdraw its controversial affidavits on the existence of Ram, expressing regret for hurting religious sentiments, the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has come down hard on “communal forces” for using the “myth” of Ram Sethu to stall the Sethusamudram project.

Karunanidhi’s remarks more offensive than affidavit: BJPSethu: ASI DG wants more time to file reply on affidavitSethusamudram: Baalu says will seek SC go-aheadIn turf war to get close to Sonia, Ram is new tool: after Ramesh, Dhawan attacks SoniNow, BJP wants legal action on affidavit fiasco

Warning the Centre against succumbing to communal forces, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, at a function in Erode on Saturday night, said: “Who is this Raman (as Lord Ram is referred to in Tamil)? In which engineering college did he study and become a civil engineer? When did he build this so-called bridge? Is there any evidence for this?”

“The withdrawal of the affidavits does not mean that the project is being withdrawn,” Karunanidhi told reporters at Yercaud near Salem. “If it amounts to the project itself being shelved, then the DMK, which adheres to scientific, rational and progressive ideals, will not accept it.”

On whether there was any difference of opinion between the DMK and Centre on the issue, he retorted: “The conflict is between us and communal elements. It is between us and dominant forces that are using superstitions of the people to stall the project and achieve their ends. It is not a conflict between us and the Union Government. Our stand is that the Centre should not succumb to these communal elements.”

At Erode, Karunanidhi said: “The latest attempt to stall the Sethusamudram project is by a group of jackals, conspirators and dangerous elements. Their objective is to subvert a major project that would usher in development in the southern parts of our state.”

In a resolution which he read out at the function, Karunanidhi warned the Government against giving up the project in the name of Ram Sethu. The Ramayana, he said, was only “a piece of fiction that allegorically represented the conflict between Aryans and Dravidians”.

The Tamil Nadu CM blamed “communal elements” and even Sri Lanka for stalling the project, “a long-cherished dream of Tamils”. “The opposition to the Sethusamudram project was an attempt to destroy the Dravidian movement,” he said. The Centre, he advised, should not be intimidated by threats from religious elements and delay a project that the Prime Minister and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had agreed to implement.

Lord Ram an imaginary character: Karunanidhi

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14528452&vsv=SHGTslot1
Erode: Charging communal forces with attempts to stop the work on the Sethusamudram project by invoking the name of Lord Ram, DMK patriarch and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has said Ram was an imaginary character and Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge) was man-made.
'Some say there was a person over 17 lakh years ago. His name was Ram. Do not touch the bridge (Ram Sethu) constructed by him. Who is this Ram? From which engineering college he graduated? Is there any proof for this?' Karunanidhi, a known atheist, asked at a public meeting.

Addressing the meeting here late on Sunday night on the occasion of DMK founder C N Annadurai's 99th birth anniversary he said people of Tamil Nadu had lot of faith in religious matters and some thought that their emotions could be easily whipped up by quoting the name of Ram.

If the Sethusamudram project was completed, Sri Lanka might face economic difficulties and Tamil Nadu would prosper, he said adding some Sri Lankans might have whispered to some here that Tamil Nadu should never become prosperous.

'Only to prevent the good scheme, they got hold of the name of a person who was supposed to have lived 17 lakh years ago', he said.

He claimed that the opposition to the project was part of a large conspiracy by 'some jackals, who wanted to destroy the Dravidian movement'.

Woman tortured for not adopting husband's religion

source: http://www.indiaenews.com/religion/20070801/63477.htm

A Muslim woman in Orissa has alleged that she is being tortured for refusing to adopt her Hindu husband's religion.

Mana Khatun, 19, of Haladia village in Kendrapada district, about 100 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, married Kalindi Sethi, 25, a Hindu youth of the same village last month at a local temple.

'Soon after the marriage, my husband and in laws pressurised me to adopt Hinduism. When I refused to convert, they physically tortured me and drove me out of the house,' Mana said Tuesday.

The woman also alleged that she sat in front of her husband's house for hours asking to be let in but in vain.

'At the time of the marriage, the girl was aware of my son's religion. She has no right to remain a Muslim after marrying him,' said Kulamani Sethi, 53, Kalindi's father.

'On the occasion of the holy Ratha Yatra (chariot festival) last week, members of our community decided to change her name from Mana Khatun to Manasi Sethi after performing a purification ritual as per Hindu religious practice. But she did not agree to change her religion or her name,' he said.

Mana says that even after marriage she continued to offer the Namaz and perform other Muslim rites but her husband and father-in-law strongly opposed this and asked her to worship Hindu deities.

'My husband and father-in-law have been pressurising me to change my religion. Last week, they severely assaulted me after I refused to embrace Hinduism,' she said.

'I am ready to die. But I will not change my religion,' Mana added.

She is now in a very difficult situation as her father has also refused to let her stay in his house because she married a Hindu.

'On Monday, both Mana Khatun's father and her husband came to the police station to sort out the dispute. We are trying to resolve the matter peacefully,' said police officer S. Das.

Guruvayur temple allows entry of women wearing churidars

source: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200707261756.htm

Guruvayur, July. 26 (PTI): In a radical break from the centuries-old dress code of the Sree Krishna temple here, the shrine's management today decided to allow women wearing churidars to enter it.

Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee Chairman Thottathil Raveendran told reporters the change was made as part of the ongoing process of reforming the temple rules in the wake of the recent controversy sparked by the "purification ceremony" peformed in the shrine after a visit by Union Minister Vayalar Ravi's son.

The decision marks a major change in the custom which insisted that only women clad in saris or Kerala's traditional 'mundu' and 'veshti' could enter the shrine.

Men are also not allowed to enter the temple, known for its rigid customs and practices, wearing pants and shirts.

Some women's groups have demanded changes in the outdated dress code followed by the temple, which is visited by thousands from across the country every day.

Case against dera saint

Molestation Charge
Case against dera chief Shankaranand
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

source http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070726/punjab1.htm#20

Talwandi Khurd, July 25
The Mullanpur police has booked Swami Shankaranand, head of a dera by the same name in this village, for allegedly molesting a woman, besides beating her up along with her brother in the dera complex this morning.

The police registered the case against him and some of his followers late in the evening after a day-long tense drama. About 500 persons, including a large number of women, belonging to Mor Karima village laid siege to the Shankaranand dera for nearly seven hours today in protest against the incident.

The accused was booked under sections 323, 341, 354, 427 and 506 of the IPC on a complaint of the woman.

The dera head was granted bail in the evening.

According to Gurmail Singh, sarpanch of Mor Karima village, the woman and her brother had gone to pay obeisance at the dera. Some dera sewaks objected to the manner in which they parked their car. An argument took place at which the sewaks and the dera head allegedly beat them up.

The two were left with swollen eyes and torn clothes. They later called up their relatives in Mor Karima village. The entire village came to their help and staged a dharna.

The situation remained volatile and tense throughout the day. The police was present in large numbers along with the anti-riot squad and a CRPF battalion to control the mob.

The victims claimed their brother had died under mysterious circumstances in the dera three years ago. They had been demanding action against some sewaks.

Tirupati temple for Hindus only, says Andhra ordinance

 
Indo-Asian News Service

Hyderabad, June 8 (IANS) The Andhra Pradesh government has issued an ordinance prohibiting propagation of any religion except Hinduism at the famed Tirupati temple and also declared the seven hills surrounding the temple as a place of worship.

The ordinance also bans the conduct of local body elections in Tirumala hills surrounding the Lord Venkateshwara temple and imposes prohibition.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy made the announcement at a news conference here Friday.

About 50,000 devotees visit Tirupati, India's richest temple, every day and the number crosses 100,000 on special occasions.

The ordinance, signed by Governor Rameswar Thakur May 22, was issued following criticism by Hindu religious heads over propagation of other religions on the Tirumala hills, over 700 km from here.

The ordinance, which makes it clear that all seven hills form part of the temple, sets at rest controversy over the area. Some people were claiming that the jurisdiction of the temple was confined to two hills.

The ordinance also covered 19 other major Hindu temples in the state and prohibited the propagation of other religions in these places.

Reddy said places of worship of other religions would also be covered if specific requests were received by the government.

He said the move was aimed at ensuring that sentiments of religious groups were not hurt and public order at such places of worship was not disturbed. He said a legislation replacing the ordinance would be introduced in the next assembly session.

The state cabinet had in April decided to promulgate the ordinance after taking strong note of evangelical activity around the famous hill shrine.

Anybody found violating the provisions of the ordinance will be sentenced to three years of imprisonment or imposed a fine of Rs.5,000 or both.

Indo-Asian News Service

Guruvayoor temple says no to change in traditions

http://www.southasianews.com/154632/Guruvayoor-temple-says-no-to-change-in-traditions.htm
 
Trissur (Kerala), May 31 (IANS) Days after a panel of Hindu priests decided to discuss the sensitive issue of throwing open the doors of Kerala temples to non-Hindus, the supreme authority of the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple Thursday ruled out any change in the traditions of the famed temple.
K. Raman Nampoothiri, secretary of the Guruvayoor Temple Pramabarya Paricharana Samithy, said that they had a long meeting that ended late Wednesday night and decided that at no cost should there be any changes in the tradition of the Sree Krishna Temple.
'We have a feeling that the devotees of this temple are a worried lot that there is going to be a change in the traditions after reports surfaced in the media after a meeting of the Yogakshema Sabha Monday.
'The Sabha Monday decided to appoint a five-member panel to look into this issue in all temples of the state,' Nampoothiri told IANS.
'We also took part in that meeting and we expressed our opinion that at the Guruvayoor temple there cannot be any changes in the traditions and we are committed to that and we wish to convey this to all devotees of this temple,' he said.
The Samithy consists the tantris and those who take part in the rituals and prayers of the temple while the Yogakshema Sabha represents the entire Brahmin community including priests and temple administrators of Kerala.
When asked if he was not in agreement with the Yogakshema Sabha decision to appoint an expert panel, Nampoothiri said that at the Sabha meeting he had expressed the view that there should be no changes in the tradition of the Guruvayoor temple.
'We wish to reiterate that if there is even a small change (in the tradition), it would lead to a series of changes and that is just not acceptable because this is a temple with a long tradition.
'We can speak only for this temple and the Yogakshema Sabha is free to go ahead with their panel to study if any changes are required in other temples,' added Nampoothiri.
The famed Guruvayoor temple of late has run into controversies. Kearla Devaswom Minister G. Sudhakaran was instrumental in igniting one when he wrote to the temple administrators to see that veteran singer K.J. Yesudas, a Christian, be allowed to sing inside its premises Hindu devotional compositions that he is famous for.
Last week, Guruvayoor priests performed a purification ritual after the naming ceremony of Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi's grandson there. Ravi's wife is a Christian.
After the ritual at the temple, a section of Hindus has argued for a change in entry rules to allow non-Hindus into temples.

Thousands of Christians, Dalits court arrest in Delhi

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) At least 3,000 Christians, Dalits and rights activists from across the country courted arrest here Tuesday while protesting against the "silence" of the government on the alleged rise in anti-Christian attacks.

At a rally, "Stop Violence on Christians", held at Jantar Mantar here, Christian and Dalit leaders, including All India Christian Council (AICC) president Joseph Dsouza, National Integration Council member John Dayal, Justice Party president Udit Raj and Mount Carmel School principal V.K. Williams, warned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that his silence could lead to killing of innocent people at the hands of communal forces.

"The protest is in the wake of attacks on Pastor Walter Masih in Jaipur, Rajasthan on April 19 and priests Ramesh Gopargode and Ajit Belavi on May 7 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, and a high incidence of communal assaults this year thus far," Madhu Chandra, an AICC leader, told IANS.

Chandra said that in 2006, the AICC recorded at least one incident of anti-Christian attack every third day, "but this rose to one attack every alternate day during the first four months of this year".

The participants, who were from several states including Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, shouted slogans against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, saying, "UPA government, wake up and stop atrocities on Christians."

Also present at the rally were victims of communal violence, including Masih and two Christians from Himachal Pradesh, Bernard Christopher and Ravinder Gautam, who were allegedly tonsured and forcibly "reconverted" to Hinduism in Kullu district May 23.

Dayal said Christianity had been reduced to a "daylight religion", because "the people of the community feel unsafe after sunset".

Expressing disappointment with the Congress party that leads the UPA, Dayal added that it was no longer only the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that should be blamed for anti-Christian agenda. "Look at the Congress-government in Himachal Pradesh, which enacted the anti-conversion law," he said.

Dalit leader Raj told the Christians not to trust any political party including the Congress saying, "You must have hopes only from yourselves."

Offering Dalits' support to the Christian community, Raj added that they should "learn to identify their friends".

The crowd left the Parliament Street police station, where they courted arrest, at 2.15 p.m. after an official announced that there were not enough jails to keep such a huge number of people.

Christians in Mumbai also staged a rally at Azad Maidan to show solidarity with the protesters here.
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