Lucknow: A seer, former head of a prominent temple in the state capital, has been booked for usurping huge donations, valuable manuscripts, and account book of the temple.
Vivekanand Giri, president of Badi Kaliji Mandir in Chowk, has accused former Mahant Ramesh Giri and his aides Om Bharti, Ravi Shanker, Rameshwaranand and 4-5 unidentified men of the fraud.
In his complaint, Vivekanand has stated that the temple is run by Bodhgayay Mutt in Bihar and current trustee is Triveni Giri.
“I have been assigned to look after religious and legal work here,” he said.
Vivekanand said that Ramesh Giri proclaimed himself to be the mahant of the temple and appointed his men in different capacities to run the temple work.
“After the trustee Triveni Giri came to know about it, he asked me to take over the charge of the temple. But, Ramesh Giri and his men did not allow me and following this we have had to seek help from the district administration,” he said.
Vivekanand said that the temple was freed from Ramesh Giri and his supporters on July 28 after the district administration and local influential devotees intervened in the matter.
“At the time of handing over charge, Ramesh Giri did not hand over the manuscripts, sculptures, gold and silver ornaments, account books and documents related to the property of the temple in Lucknow. The temple has vast land and valuables as its assets and the documents related to it had been destroyed or grabbed by Ramesh Giri and his supporters,” Vivekanand alleged.
He said the above-named persons needed to be interrogated by police to find out the missing things.
Additional DCP, West Zone, Chiranjeev Nath Sinha, said that an FIR under the charges of criminal breach of trust, dishonesty, forgery of valuable security, and forgery for the purpose of cheating against the named accused has been lodged.
Police said that Giri was also accused of attempting sodomy with one his disciples in the name of taking massage from him in April this year.
–IANS