CBI charges disciple with abetting Narendra Giri's suicide

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday filed its charge sheet in the case of death of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad chairman Acharya Narendra Giri against his disciple Anand Giri and two others, officials said.

In its charge sheet filed in a court in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, the CBI has charged Giri, priest of Allahabad's Bade Hanuman Temple Addhya Tiwari and his son Sandeep Tiwari with criminal conspiracy and abetment to suicide, they said.

All three are in judicial custody, they said.

The CBI has kept the probe open for further investigation.

Acharya Narendra Giri, who was the president of the largest organisation of sadhus in India, was found hanging by his disciples at the Baghambari Mutt in Allahabad on September 20.

A purported suicide note was found, in which the seer had written that he was mentally disturbed and upset with one of his disciples, the police had said.

The Centre had given the case to the CBI within days of the incident on the recommendation of the Uttar Pradesh government.

The state government had recommend a CBI probe into the matter on the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The Uttar Pradesh Police had earlier constituted an 18-member SIT which had arrested Anand Giri from Haridwar in Uttarakhand.