Mumbai/Kannur: The brutal lynching of two Hindu sadhus and their driver in Palghar in Maharashtra has shocked the nation. Kalpavrishka Giri Maharaj, Sushil Giri Maharaj and their driver Nilesh Telgade lost their lives when they were driving through the village. There are reports that the village has a large chunk of communist sympathizers.
This brings back to memory the attack on Hindu sadhus in Kerala in 2008 during the Left Democratic Front rule led by CPI(M). During that year, a fake godman, Santhosh Madhavan, was arrested for molesting underage girls and for fraud.
The DYFI used this as an opportunity to campaign against all Hindu sadhus in Kerala, attacked many ashrams, and cut off the beard and hair of sadhus forcefully.
Sadhu Vinod from Kannur district also came under their attack. He used to live a very simple life in a cave near his ancestral home, in meditation and spiritual discussions with those who come to seek his spiritual advice.
When the Santhosh Madhavan incident flared up, a group of DYFI activists attacked his cave and destroyed. They physically assaulted him brutally and cut off his matted hair and beard. Here is a detailed report published by Haindava Keralam portal in 2008.
Sadhu Vinod says that he was more hurt when DYFI activists burned his library, which contained more than sixteen thousand books and notes he made for his spiritual studies.
The Hindu sadhu was not left alone after that. DYFI goons have attacked his abode more than thirty times. Still the simple sadhu believes that one day these goons will realize their mistakes and come on the right path. He even says that one day their offices will become centres of yoga.
During those days, Hindu sanyasis in the state lived at risk for their lives from the communists. Surprisingly, DYFI has never taken out a march or protest against Christian churches or Mosques when any priests or maulavis were caught for molestation.
In 2014, a news channel in Kerala did a hidden camera operation to find out whether he is a fake godman. They were so astonished to find a real Sadhu in him. This video went viral on social media. Later the video was removed from their YouTube page, probably when threatened by DYFI goons. Here is a copy of that Malayalam video someone uploaded to Facebook. Sadhu Vinod still lives there pursuing his spiritual journey.
https://www.facebook.com/kaaliyambi/videos/1223052091147736/
