Giant-killers out on limb

VADTAL Kheda, April 15: It is a climax of the battle they have fought against a powerful lobby of godmen for nearly a year now. But as ...

VADTAL Kheda, April 15: It is a climax of the battle they have fought against a powerful lobby of godmen for nearly a year now. But as Nadiad8217;s chief judicial magistrate extended the remand of Shriji Charan Swami, Madhav Das, Gyan Prakash Swami, Chimanbhai D Parmar, Shreenarayan Shastry and Vinay Bhagat 8212; the chief accused in the murder of Shree Vadtal Temple Managing Trustee Board chairman Gadadharanand 8212; on Tuesday, there were no smiles on the faces of Jatinbhai, Kapilji and Prabutadas.

This was a small victory, but a hard-won, lonely one. In the process, they have been alienated, assaulted and disillusioned about all that they once held dear.

Twenty-four-year-old Jatinbhai8217;s forehead wrinkles in concentration as he describes how he single-handedly took up the cudgels against the coterie that governs the 400-odd cash-rich Swaminarayan shrines all over the country.

8220;I remember, I M Desai, then the superintendent of police, Kheda, slapped me for 10 minutes in full public view in front of this very temple on May 5 last year. My only fault was that the day before, I had lodged a case about my guru8217;s disappearance at the Chaklasi outpost, saying I suspected the involvement of some temple officials.8221;

But even police cognisance did not come easy. 8220;For 10 days, Gadadharanandji8217;s nephew Kapilji, and another of his followers, Prabhutdas, staged a sit-in, that was ignored by the police and the Press. The strength came from Vadtal village sarpanch Ramanbhai Parmar and other villagers8221;, says Jatinbhai.

Kapilji and Prabhutdas, listening silently to Jatinbhai8217;s outburst, join the conversation only to say the going has been tough for them. So much so, that they apprehended threats to their lives, and cut down on their movements and monitored their statements till the case went to High Court, which eventually handed it over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Tears fill Jatin8217;s eyes as he pronounces, 8220;These so-called sadhus kidnapped and killed my guru just because he would not join their game of corruption8221;.