Shankaracharya of Kanchi arrested in connection with a murder case

[Dominik Wujastyk]

The news services are carrying the following news bulletin:

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Saturday November 13, 10:08 PM

Ravi Shankar calls for restraint over seer's arrest
By Indo-Asian News Service


New Delhi, Nov 13 (IANS) Indian spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Saturday appealed to Hindus to keep their calm and not to precipitate
matters in the wake of the Kanchi Shankaracharya's arrest in connection
with a murder case.

In a statement issued in Rishikesh in Uttaranchal, Ravi Shankar urged the
people not to make the crisis the religion was going through into a
communal issue.

He said the news of Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi's arrest
Thursday had shaken the Hindu psyche.

"Saints cannot even think of committing such a crime. At a time when such
an accusation has been made, all that one can say is that saints should
keep a watch on people around them," he said.

Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi, head of the Kanchipuram hermitage in
Tamil Nadu, was arrested for alleged involvement in the murder of Sankara
Raman, a manager of the Varadaraja Perumal temple in the same town.

The arrest evoked strong reactions from supporters as well as critics of
the high profile seer.


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