SHAHJAHANPUR: Former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand on Tuesday demanded a CBI inquiry into the death of Mahant Narendra Giri, the president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad.
Claiming that Mahant Giri could not commit suicide, Chinmayanad said the seer was in touch with the people belonging to a political party and they were very close to him.
Chinmayanand, whose trust runs the Shahjahanpur law college where a woman had alleged sexual abuse, was arrested in 2019 under Section 376-C of the IPC, a charge short of rape.
In March 2021, he was acquitted by a special court in the case.
The former BJP leader said whatever happened to him also happened to defame the Yogi Adityanath government.
"The death of Mahant Narendra Giri before the assembly elections in UP can be used against Adityanath as some political people want to defame him. They can use this incident as the failure of the government to protect the seer," Chinmayanand told reporters here.
Mahant Giri's body was found hanging from the ceiling by his disciples on Monday, according to police.
A purported suicide note of seven-eight pages was also found at the site in which the seer had written that he was mentally disturbed and was ending his life.
The seer had written that he was upset with one of his disciples, the police said.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 9152987821, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm).