Web of intrigue surrounds Kolkata mutt

The murders of the head of the Swami Swarupananda ashram and her aide have put the spotlight on the dark side of a popular commune

Till three days ago, the Swami Swarupananda Ashram8217;s Kolkata branch was just another nondescript building located off a busy thoroughfare. Then on April 16, the double murder of the ashram head and her aide pushed it into the limelight. This was no ordinary ashram but a well-administered organisation with presence in Bangladesh and several other states, including New Delhi, apart from the wide network of ashrams in West Bengal and parts of the Northeast.

The news of Guruma Sanghita Devi8217;s murder at the hands of a disciple Kalipada Das8212;who was later lynched by disciples8212;has brought in followers from all over the country. Bank managers, businessmen, IT professionals, seismologists8212;many of them had taken sudden leave at their workplaces to come and pay their last respects in Kolkata.

The ashram8217;s joint secretary, Supriyo Kar, estimates the number of members8212;called 8220;gurubhais8221; within the commune8212;at 2,50,000 in the country. Among the gurubhais are Union I038;B Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, former Assam chief minister Hiteshwar Saikia, Bengal Fisheries Minister Kiranmoy Nando, MLA Arup Biswas, IPS and IAS officers and judges. Kar himself is an IAS officer and chairman of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation.

8220;Swami Swarupananda, who was born in Bangladesh, set up the first ashram in Varanasi from where it has branched out to different places down the years. Two more ashrams are coming up in Lucknow and Patna,8221; said Kar.

Since Thursday morning, an endless stream of mourners has been coming to the ashram. Many can8217;t hold back their tears as they file up and down the narrow stairway to pay homage to Guruma. The body will be kept for seven days for disciples of the sect to come from distant places and pay their last respect.

So far, the police have not been able to make much headway into the murder investigation and is largely pinning their hopes on another injured monk who is admitted to a private nursing home. The monk, Ananda Kamal Das, who used to act as the secretary to the Guruma was also attacked and brutally stabbed several times the same night when the accused Kalipada went berserk.

Police sources said Ananda Kamal would be able to throw light on the motive of the murderer. Till now, the investigation is based on two assumptions. One, that Kalipada was mentally deranged and that, in a fit of madness, attacked the head of the ashram, another sanyasin. The other angle doing the rounds is that Kalipada was insisting on an official position in the hierarchical organisation.

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As the Guruma did not pay much heed to his request, Kalipada was trying to set up a parallel organisation in other states, including one in Jammu. The police said that Guruma had 14 stab wounds and Duli Dutta was stabbed seven times.

Members of the sect said a monk had been named to take over in the absence of the Guruma. The handing over would take place only after the mourning period is over, said the monks.

The Swarupananda Ashram is registered under two names, Ajachak Ashram and The Multivarsity. 8220;We don8217;t ask anyone for donations. Money is earned through selling ayurvedic medicines, the many books written by Swami Swarupanandaji and through voluntary donations from well-wishers. Apart from the registered names, the Ashram is also called the 8216;Akhanda Sanghatan8217;, which is present at the district level as well,8221; said Kar. Apart from the five storied headquarters for the sect where the murders took place, there is another adjacent building where a temple is coming up.