Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 17 2010:
The crisis brewing within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, (ISKCON), in the State is likely to be resolved soon as a top level priest of the Society has been entrusted to probe the matter and unearth the truth.
Meanwhile IskCon Manipur president Ajit Das, who began a fast-unto-death stir over the inner controversy on Friday and was arrested by the police on Sunday evening, withdrew his stir on Tuesday agreeing to cooperate with the probe.
Following Ajit's withdrawal of stir, the police, who arrested him under 309 of the Indian Penal Code (Attempt to commit suicide), have freed him.
Trouble began when the society's Governing Body Commission (GBC) member Gopal Krishna Goswami, allegedly levelled a number of allegations including fund misappropriation against Ajit.
Dismissing the charges and protesting against it, Ajit began his stir demanding Gopal Krishna's resignation.
He said Goswami took into account the baseless allegations cooked up by some office bearers of Iskcon Manipur.
"He even asked me to resign from my post," said Ajit.
"I warmly welcome the probe and I will fully cooperate with it.
Now the whole truth will come out after the probe.
Because of the initiation of the inquiry, I withdrew my hunger strike," Das told The Sangai Express on Wednesday evening.
A senior priest of the society's Temple Management Council (TMC) Imphal said the probe that began from Tuesday is headed by Basu Gosh Das, vice-chairman of Iskcon's Indian Continental Council (ICC) based in Baroda.
"Soon after he (Basu) landed at Imphal yesterday, he began the inquiry.
After completing the probe, he will move back to his Baroda office and pronounce his findings," the TMC priest said.
"The GBC and ICC will take a decision after going through the probe report," he added.
A few days back students of the society-run school 'Bhaktivedanta Institute' staged a demonstration at their Imphal Iskcon complex demanding a solution to the crisis that may affect their studies.
Iskcon Manipur hit headlines in August 2006 after unidentified miscreants set off a grenade blast inside its temple at Sangaiporou here on Janmasthami killing six devotees including women and children and injuring over forty including its international director Damodara Swami and some foreigners.
A native of Manipur's Toubul village, Damodara died at Kolkata a few months after the incident.