How The Gods
Fall
By S. Anand
09 December, 2004
Outlook
The Five New
Cases - Other than the Sankararaman murder, here is what the police
are probing:
1. Attempt to murder S. Radhakrishnan, former math functionary,
in September 2002
2. Attempt to
murder temple priest Thirukottiyur Madhavan, in August 3, 2004
3. Mysterious
death of Kesavan Namboothiri and Sankaran Namboothiri in 1985, both
Veda students in a math-run college
4. Suspicious
death of Iyyappa Sharma, a math official, found dead in a temple tank
5. The mysterious
death of a 11-year old girl, Subhashree, in July 2004, at the math-run
Kamadurga hostel in Kanchipuram
With
the murder of the Varadarajaperumal temple manager A. Sankararaman and
the subsequent arrest of Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati as first
accused in the case, several skeletons are tumbling out of the temple
closet: mysterious deaths, possible child abuse, sexual misconduct,
and more cases of
murderous assault. And this time, the police say, the charges are not
limited to Jayendra Saraswati; the junior pontiff Vijayendra Saraswati
and his brother Raghu too seem to be involved. Cases filed much earlierone
of them 19 years agonot taken up by the authorities then, are
now being dusted up and re-examined. There seems to be a belated and
calculated exercise of political will in investigating afresh old cases
and complaints. Victims, too, are making bold to state in public past
injustices done to them by the math.
It may look like
the Tamil Nadu police is heaping one case upon another on the Shankaracharya,
making it difficult for him to be released on bail. But most of these
cases are interconnected. In fact, some of them find mention in letters
written by Sankararaman. Some of these letterswhich admittedly
left Jayendra Saraswati "tortured and sleepless"bear
specific references to "sexual activities" in the math and
the "presence of women in the math premises late into the night".
No wonder the counter-affidavit filed on November 29 in the Madras HC
by S.P. Sakthivelu, chief investigating officer, makes a reference to
these letters.
"The charges
made in Sankararaman's letters and his subsequent murder cannot be delinked.
We are stumbling on several connections, and other cases automatically
open up," says an investigating officer. The murderous attack on
S. Radhakrishnan, a former math functionary, was reportedly carried
out by Appu and Kadiravan, the duo who allegedly played a key role in
Sankararaman's murder too. It has also emerged that Thirukottiyur Madhavan,
a priest who had resisted Jayendra Saraswati's efforts to replace a
Siva idol in a temple, was attacked by Kadiravan in Augusta month
ahead of Sankararaman's murder. Madhavan, who led a demonstration against
the Kanchi math, was attacked on Greams Road, Chennai, and managed to
survive despite 16 stitches and temporary coma.
The Tamil Nadu police
has constituted four teams to look into the new cases. An all-woman
team is looking into "the charges of sexual exploitation of women"
in the math. While popular fiction writer and columnist Anuradha Ramanan
refused to press charges against Jayendra Saraswati for sexually harassing
her in 1992 (see box), other more serious charges are coming to fore.
Subhashree, an 11-year-old
girl studying in Kamadurga, a hostel for poor and orphan Brahmin girls
run by the math, died on July 9 this year under mysterious circumstances.
Enquiries by Outlook at the math revealed that till very recently Vijayendra
Saraswati and his brother Raghu used to visit the hostel and spend time
there on the pretext of teaching slokas to the girls. "They were
regular visitors. But they have not come here for three months,"
says a security guard. They would stay in AC rooms and watch TV.Surprisingly,
a hostel meant for poor girls has two air-conditioned rooms. Police
too confirmed that the junior pontiff and his brother used to visit
the hostel till recently.
Subhashree was a
student of SSKV Elementary School where several students from Kamadurga
are enrolled. The school headmistress Sundari told Outlook: "The
girl attended school last on June 29. The hostel warden, Vedambal, collected
the transfer certificate (TC) only in August. But we never saw the girl
after June 29. They said she was not keeping good health." Till
Outlook told the headmistress, the school was not aware of Subhashree's
death. Sundari also said, "The hostel is run by the math and the
warden is our only contact. Several girls have parents and relatives
but we never see them."
Math sources told Outlook that Subhashree was sexually abused. Her poor
parents, residents of Kadyanallur, some 500 km away, had admitted their
daughter at Kamadurga three years ago. Subhashree's father works in
a railway canteen.
However, when the girl died, she was cremated hurriedly in Wallajapet,
40 km from Kanchipuram, under the supervision of Sundaramurthy, a 73-year
devotee of the math. The girl's parents were not informed nor were they
present at the cremation. No case was registered or post-mortem done.
The hostel warden, Vedambal, told Outlook: "She was a weak girl,
she died a natural death." Sundaramurthy, who claimed to be a 'distant
relation' of the girl, said: "The girl had poor health. She died
of bleeding. She had menstrual problems. She died during her second
period." However, the school authorities asserted that Subhashree,
just 11, had not yet attained puberty.
On December 1, summoned
by the police, Subhashree's mother Nalini and her uncle Sethuraman met
the investigating team and assured them that the girl was "weak"
and had died a "natural death". However, Nalini and Sethuraman,
accompanied by Sundaramurthy, had spent an hour in the Kanchi math before
appearing for interrogation. Math sources indicate that Subhashree's
parents had been "adequately compensated for the unnatural death".
A section of the math regrets that only Jayendra Saraswati has been
exposed "while the junior pontiff is not being investigated."
Vidya Reddy, founder
of the Tulir Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Sexual
Abuse, says: "There are standards to be observed when you run a
child-care home. Kamadurga seems to have not respected these if it allowed
two adults easy access to the hostel premises. Moreover, destitute children
living in such homes are most vulnerable to child sexual abuse (CSA)."
Reddy insists a close and careful examination of the other children
by CSA experts is necessary. "Moreover, the law is very weak. We
only have Section 354 which deals with the outraging of the modesty
of a woman." The math sources' story, that the girl died of menstrual
bleeding, sounds medically improbable. Says Mala Vijayakrishnan, obstetrician
and gynaecologist: "Dying of menstrual complication and bleeding,
that too at age 11, sounds bizarre and most unlikely."
After Subhashree
comes Anuradha Ramanan's disclosure about the Shankaracharya's immoral
behaviour. Not surprisingly, close examination by Outlook of one Sankararaman's
letters listing incidents of sexual misconduct makes a reference to
the Ramanan episode. Addressed to Jayendra Saraswati, the letter dated
September 6, 2002, spoke of "your dalliance with a celebrity woman
journalist, the resultant problems, your apology, and the negotiations."
He also refers to Jayendra Saraswati's affairs with some "Andhra
beauties", "a Tirupati maami", "Tambaram Baby alias
Jayalakshmi", "Kamakoti Leela", "the widowed Saroja"
and many more. Sankararaman does not spare Vijayendra Saraswati and
Raghu, who he says love the "company of young girls" on whom
"they bestow jewels and silk saris from Sundari Silks".Sankararaman
also accuses Vijayendra Saraswati of sleeping with the wives and daughters
of priests at the Kamakshi temple.
Sankararaman also asks why the two pontiffs would speak for long hours
on the phone with "certain women".The police has interrogated
Usha of Srirangam, a cancer patient, whom Jayendra Saraswati helped
generously. The math was making remittances of Rs 6,000 per month to
this "bhakta deserted by her husband". The police in their
counter-affidavit say that Jayendra Saraswati "was in the habit
of talking to Usha during early morning hours. The conversations used
to last even up to 900 pulse units." Usha maintains that it was
a guru-shishya relationship.
Coming to the surface now are also the mysterious deaths of two students
from Kerala in 1985. Kesavan Namboothiri, a second-year degree student
at the math-run Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahavidyalaya, died in
1985. The math says he died of electrocution. The victim's father Krishnan
Namboothiri received a telegram from the Kanchi math on October 1, 1985,
saying that his son was involved in an accident. But a telegram the
next day said the math authorities were bringing home the body. Kesavan's
bodywith a deep slash on the back of the head, blood oozing from
the mouth and testicles, one of the thighs bearing a burn scarwas
brought stuffed in the boot of a car with ice-pieces smeared all over.
According to Kesavan's brother Narayanan Namboothiri, Kesavan had tried
to expose certain undesirable activities in the math. He died days before
he was to visit home to consult his parents about this. Within a week
of Kesavan's death, the body of his classmate Sankaran Namboothiri was
found on a railway track.
The police report
registered at the Siva Kanchi police station states that there was suspicion
over Kesavan's death. However, a post-mortem was not conducted. Kesavan's
family had then petitioned the Kerala and TN governments to initiate
a probe, but there was no progress. Today, the Namboothiri family has
written to chief minister Jayalalitha seeking justice. This case has
now been taken up by the special investigating team (SIT). Similarly,
the suspicious death of Iyyappa Sharma, a math functionary from Andhra
Pradesh whose body was found in a temple tank a few years ago, is also
being probed by the SIT.
According to intelligence
sources, Jayalalitha is trying to bring up a case against DMK leader
M. Karunanidhi's son M.K. Stalin. Appu alias Krishnaswamy, a key accused
(who is still at large) in the Sankararaman murder case, was associated
with senior DMK leader Arcot N. Veerasamy till 2001. On July 17, 2001,
Ramesh, a businessman and close aide of Stalin, committed 'suicide'
with his entire family of wife and three children. Investigations have
now revealed Appu's hand in Ramesh's death. Unofficially, police is
said to have taken into custody Kutty alias 'Airport' Saravanan, a close
associate of Appu. Kutty, it is suspected, had a hand in the death of
Ramesh, who was being watched by the state police in connection with
the corruption charges against Stalin in the flyover scam. In police
parlance, "Ramesh was an alleged benami for Stalin".
In September 2001,
Jayalalitha had said: "The death of Ramesh was not a case of suicide.
They (DMK) are aware of it. The police will come out with the facts
soon." That day may not be far away. If Appu is arrested, his interrogation
may help nail not only Jayendra Saraswati but also Stalin. Though there's
no connection between Ramesh's and Sankararaman's death, for the first
time, Anna Arivalayam, the DMK HQ, and the Kanchi math would be linked
by a common elementthe mercenary Appu. If and when that happens,
we may well understand what Karunanidhi meant by Jayalalitha's "personal
motives" in giving the go-ahead to arrest Jayendra Saraswati
'If You Cooperate, I Can Extend
You All Benefits'
By Anuradha Ramanan
Personal Account
of a Tamil journalist against whom Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati
made indecent advances
It
was 1992. I had quit as editor of the Tamil magazine Shubamangala, and
was editing another magazine, Valaiosai, which was not doing too well.
It was at that point that I received a message from Shankaracharya Jayendra
Saraswati suggesting that I edit a new spiritual magazine the math was
planning to launch. I come from a family which holds the Kanchi math,
especially Paramacharya Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, in high regard.
My father felt this was an invitation from god. I readily agreed. A
woman was deputed by the math to facilitate my meeting with Jayendra
Saraswati.
During the first meeting, Jayendra Saraswati suggested that the new
spiritual magazine be called 'Amma' and discussed its concept. There
were to be further meetings which happened during the afternoon hours
after the bhaktas completed their darshan. At these brainstorming sessions,
there would be only three people in the roomJayendra Saraswati,
myself and the woman who mediated between us. This woman would fetch
me in a car from Chennai and escort me to Kanchipuram.
The first four meetings
were professional. During the fifth meeting, diverting from spirituality,
Jayendra Saraswati started speaking vulgarly to my escort. Till then,
I had been taking notes with my head bent. When I looked up I was shocked
by the sight of her and the seer in close physical contact. I felt a
storm had hit me. He then spoke in a lustful manner to me and expressed
a desire for similar intimacy with me. I stood up, more shocked, and
raised my voice and asked him, "Are you human?" To this Jayendra
Saraswati did not offer a reply, instead he enquired of my escort: "As
you usually do, didn't you tell this woman in advance about this?"
The woman said no. Then the Shankaracharya pulled her up using abusive
language.
I wanted to leave.
But my escort physically tried to stop me. Jayendra Saraswati addressed
me again: "Look, if you cooperate, I can extend you all kinds of
benefits. This is my place. If you, who have lost your husband, can
sport kumkum and be well-dressed, what's wrong if I desire you? If you
talk about this incident outside the math, I will spread stories about
your lack of character."
I rushed back home
in a bus. I did not tell anyone about the incident. But I could not
sleep. The next day the woman who had escorted me to the math and her
husband came drunk to my home and they attacked me physically and verbally.
I shared my grief with a woman police officer friend of mine. She asked
me for a written complaint, but I desisted saying the math, and Hinduism
as such, will suffer a loss of face. At that point I suffered a paralytic
attack on my left leg. I even lost part of my speech because of the
shock. It took me a year to recover. I continue to receive threats from
Jayendra Saraswati and also offers of compromise.
I am often asked
why I am bringing up all this now. I am not sharing my anguish and shock
to strengthen the other cases against the Shankaracharya. Nor am I planning
to make a formal police complaint. When Tamil magazines to which I had
often contributed started associating my name wrongly with Jayendra
Saraswati, I felt the need to set the record straight.
And this is not
the first time I have tried to state the facts. In 1993, I was writing
a weekly column, 'Speaking the Truth', for Dinamalar, the Tamil daily.
After running 27 columns, they refused to publish my 28th since I had
mentioned the Shankaracharya episode. The paper was under pressure from
the math. At that point our society was not willing to believe what
I was saying. I am sure several women have had similar harrowing experiences
like I did at the math.
Yes, I am a Brahmin.
But what happened between me and the Shankaracharya is an issue between
a man and woman. I am a woman. He is a man. There are those who say
that any attack on Jayendra Saraswati is an attack on Hinduism.
That's rubbish. Even Veerappan was a Hindu. The problem is we have some
expectations of a mathadipathi (head of a math), but Jayendra Saraswati
does not live up to those expectations. He is an ordinary man with the
needs and desires of any ordinary man. As a writer, I move in several
circles. At a party, I know how to be on guard and protect myself from
potential harassment. But when such a propositioning happens in a math
and is made by the mathadipathi, it leaves one shocked and confused.