Dehradun: After a controversy erupted over initiation of ‘monkhood’ being given to a gangster, the Uttarakhand government on Sunday ordered an inquiry into the matter related to underworld don Prakash Pandey alias PP being named as Akhara pontiff in Almora jail.
According to a government’s statement, Special Secretary (Home) Riddhim Agarwal has nominated Additional Inspector General, Prison Administration, Yashwant Chauhan as the investigating officer to probe this case and asked him to report within a week.
Prakash Pandey has a number of criminal cases
This gangster and notorious criminal Prakash Pandey has a number of criminal cases pending against him. He has been involved in several cases of murder, robbery and ransom; however, he was given ‘diksha’ by two sadhus inside the jail on September 5. As the ritual was performed, Prakash Pandey was made to wear a ‘rudraksha’ rosary and ‘kanthi’ amid mantra chanting.
This gangster was renamed Prakashanand Giri
Besides, gangster PP was also renamed as Prakashanand Giri by the sadhus, who claimed to be from the Panch Dashnam Juna Akhara, after the ceremony. Moreover, these sadhus were accompanied to the jail by another person who acted as a mediator in the entire process of this monkhood process. Panchdashnam Juna Akhara has headquarters in Haridwar and ashrams in various parts of the country.
Juna Akhara also constituted its own inquiry committee
After the controversy embroiled the Juna Akhara, its international convenor Mahant Hari Giri ordered a probe into this matter. The Juna Akhara has also constituted its own inquiry committee to probe the matter. Later, the matter was discussed in the national executive meeting of the Juna Akhara held in Nagina, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. After this meeting, Mahant Hari Giri constituted a seven-member committee headed by the Akhara’s national president Mahant Prem Giri to probe this matter. Mahant Hari Giri said to the reporters in Haridwar that this committee will investigate every aspect of this matter, including any kind of monetary transaction.
Why a gangster was given this revered religious post
While giving an explanation over ‘monkhood’ being given to a notorious gangster, the mediator of this episode, Krishna Kandpal and the seers had held a press conference in Almora after the diksha ritual where he explained the reasons why the gangster was given the title. “When I met PP Bhai, I was struck by his patriotic spirit. He had once entered Pakistan to kill Dawood Ibrahim and had even gone to Vietnam for a similar mission but was arrested due to a red-corner notice against him. He expressed a desire to follow a spiritual path. I spoke with the seers, and they agreed to offer him diksha,” Kandpal had told reporters. “It was a subtle diksha program. A larger and more elaborate one will take place at the Prayagraj Kumbh in 2025,” he added.
