Gangaputra Nigamananda: Murder Or Suicide

Nigamananda started fasting at Matri Sadan in Haridwar on 19th February 2011 that prolonged for 115 days before his death on 13th June at the Himalayan Hospital, Jolly Grant. This was one of the most controversial deaths of that year in the media.

– Satchidananda

As such the state government had asked for CBI probe which was initiated in August. Matri Sadan had alleged that he was poisoned and suspected the involvement of the local mining mafia in the controversial death.

In fact, the CBI has registered it as a murder case with criminal conspiracy, under section 120 B and 302 of IPC (Indian Penal Code). And the accused were the Medical Officer of Haridwar District Hospital Dr P. K. Bhatnagar and the owner of Himalayan stone crusher. 

Nigamananda and his story of fasting against the sand and stone mining in the river bed of holy Ganga begins by the end of 20th century. It was the last of this series of experiments. After thirteen weeks, he was admitted to the district hospital, and from there transferred to Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, where he has died sparking uproar in public and media. 

Before the end of that year, the CBI filed the closure report in the court. They have observed that the scientific examination of his viscera by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory did not find any trace of poisonous substance.

The medical board headed by certain experts of the AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) concluded the cause of death was malnutrition and complications associated with prolonged fasting. After a year the court accepted it on 19th June 2012.

On the medical report of experts, the district administration started proceedings under section 309 of IPC. It deals with the cases of attempts of suicide. The case of murder that CBI had registered was finally concluded as a critical example of suicide.

But  the realities behind the scenes are still out of the picture that can help investigating authorities to explore the cold blooded murder that Girish’s (AKA Nigamananda) parents have been trying hard to suggest since the inception of this case. 

In September 2015, the CBI court at Dehradun rejected the closure report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation. But the reinvestigation is yet to conclude, and the case seems to be suspended in mid air since a long time.

In addition to the angles that the court seems to suggest, political intentions of the seers needs adequate attention of the investigating agency and the public at large. Here the CBI team seems to deliberately neglect the facts for unknown reasons. 

It is not possible to ascertain whether it was a murder or suicide as long as the facts of the case are not available on the table. The story of the last fasting that Gangaputra Nigamananda had carried out needs sufficient light that can reveal the fact of building pressure for fasting and teaching the art of immortality.

Before the commencement of his fast, Yajnananda was sitting on an Anshan that he had tried hard to discontinue, and failing that he was compelled to cut his own hand in the darkness of night on 18th February 2011.

Next morning he was bleeding profusely. Inmates of the Ashram with the help of a doctor prepared him to hide this fact. Now their next move was to replace someone with the fasting Yajnananda to gain whatever was explicitly and implicitly intended.

Then they approached the sick and weak Nigamananda, who had clearly stated that he was not in a position to start fasting. But still the monk was pressurised to start the most fatal fasting to gain immortality. All the investigating agencies and media deliberately concealed this fact for such a long time. This is a serious question on the prestige of the agency involved in this case.

Nigamananda was one of the editors and columnist of ‘Divine Message’ that was published quarterly from New Delhi. The author of these lines used to be the executive editor of the same journal. As such I have known him better than the investigating agencies and reporters covering this case after his death.

I was shocked to know that they have referred to him as a disciple of Swami Shivananda Saraswati (AKA Shivanand Jha), whereas he was the disciple of Swami Prakashananda Saraswati, and visiting Matri Sadan in that capacity.

He has asserted this fact on oath in the courts of law on several occasions, but still the investigating agency tried hard to conceal this fact for unknown reasons. I hope they will notice these facts in order to honour the verdict of the court and to save its prestige in the eyes of common men. 

– Satchidananda