Noida-based beer bar owner Sachin Dutta of yesterday is now “mahamandaleshwar” (high priest in Hindu religion) Sachidanand Giri Maharaj. Sachin, who has several criminal cases pending against him, including fraud and land grab, is also into the real estate business, and is known to have duped many who are waiting for their dream homes for the past six years in Noida.

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The conferment of the high religious honour on a person with a chequered track record has stirred a hornets’ nest, with Hindu seers venting their anger, and politicians using the occasion to score tactical hits at the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP). The ‘swami’ has, meanwhile, vanished as the controversy gained momentum.

Interestingly, two senior UP cabinet ministers, Shivpal Yadav and Om Prakash Singh, attended the elaborate religious ceremony to honour the former liquor businessman with the title of “Mahamandaleshwar” in Allahabad on Friday. The BJP has slammed them for patronising “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”.

The Baghambari ‘mutt’ of the Niranjani ‘akhada’, held in high esteem in the hierarchy of ‘akhadas’, organised the religious ceremony.

Despite the controversy, Niranjani ‘akhada’ secretary Narendra Giri stands his ground. “He (Sachin) has now taken ‘sanyas’. We are not concerned with his life before this point. Now, he is a religious man who has undertaken to propagate the Hindu dharma,” he told reporters in Allahabad.

Asked about his association with the beer bar owner and his presence at Friday’s ‘yagya’ in Allahabad, Shivpal Yadav came up with a rather ingenious reply: “Criminals become good people in the company of sants and mahants. Even a criminal deserves a chance to become a better person.” He was at pains to explain that he didn’t know Sachin well but had been invited to the ceremony by a local party worker.

Religious leaders have, however, criticised the “misuse” of the religious title by undeserving people. “Religious standards should not be compromised thus. It’s dangerous for the Hindu religion and society at large,” says Kalika Peethadheeshwar Mahant Surendra Nath. “This title can be conferred only during the Kumbh which is happening in Nasik,” said Mahant Satyendra Das, chief ‘pujari’ at the makeshift Ram Janmabhoomi temple at Ayodhya. “How and why this ceremony has been done in Allahabad, I don’t understand,” he added.

UP BJP president Laxmikant Bajpayee took potshots at the SP ministers who attended the ceremony, saying: “The honourable men (who were there) should now explain why they are patronizing such a person, who is obviously a fraud.” He also called upon the Niranjani “akhada” to review its decision.

Political support Interestingly, two senior UP cabinet ministers, Shivpal Yadav and Om Prakash Singh, attended the elaborate religious ceremony to honour the former liquor businessman with the title of “Mahamandaleshwar” in Allahabad on Friday. The BJP has slammed them for patronising “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”.