Mahant dies by suicide after alleged extortion in Sagar:Woman and 2 men accused of blackmail; brother blames pressure to resign

A mahant in Sagar died by suicide on Thursday after allegedly consuming poison. His brother has accused a woman and two men of blackmailing him for money and pressuring him to give up his position. Ruravan temple priest Bhagirath said that Bhimkund’s Mahant Shankar Sharan came to the temple on Thursday morning and hugged him. When asked what had happened, the mahant said he had consumed poison. He then went to a room and collapsed. Bhagirath said that as soon as he was found lying on the ground, he was taken to Banda Hospital. After preliminary examination, doctors referred him to the district hospital, where he was declared dead. Police reached the spot, prepared a panchnama and sent the body for post-mortem. The body was later handed over to the family. Family files complaint against 3 people The mahant’s family members filed a complaint against a woman and two men at the local police station. The mahant’s brother, Dharmendra Dubey, said Shankar Sharan Maharaj was the mahant at Bhimkund in Chhatarpur district. A woman had been working as a cook at his residence for about a year and was allegedly in a relationship with a teacher. The temple committee had earlier intervened to settle the issue. Allegations of blackmail and pressure to resign According to Dharmendra, after the settlement, two men from the Khajuraho area, along with the woman, began harassing the mahant. They allegedly threatened to implicate him in false cases, demanded that he step down from his position and asked for one crore rupees. Disturbed by the pressure, the mahant left Bhimkund and came to Ruravan. Video of accusations sent before death On Wednesday night, a video of the woman’s statement was sent to the mahant. In the video, she accused him of holding her hand. She had also lodged a complaint at the Chhatarpur women’s police station. On Thursday, the mahant was called to the police station. Dharmendra said that fearing damage to his reputation, he took the extreme step. The family has demanded a detailed investigation and strict action against those named in the complaint.