Acharya Shriniwas, a controversial religious leader, caused a stir by displaying a khukuri during a religious gathering in Janakpur on September 29. After his provocative act went viral on social media, he was arrested by the Nepal Police in Sunsari on October 3.
The District Administration filed charges against him for disturbing public peace, ordering him to pay a fine of Rs 500 and refrain from making provocative statements.
Security agencies had been monitoring Shriniwas ‘s activities, and there were indications of protests in his support and potential exploitation by extremist groups. The government issued notices to deter such actions.
Shriniwas had a history of making provocative statements, even during previous protests. He had made controversial remarks related to a church construction dispute in Dharan.
During the Dharan-15 protests in Shyam Chok on July 26, he made statements that could potentially incite violence. In a dispute related to the construction of a church near Balgopal Temple in Dharan-14, he levelled serious allegations against Dharan’s Mayor Harkaa Sampang and made controversial statements against individuals from other communities.
According to sources within the Nepal Police, Shriniwas had been on their radar for a while. The National Investigation Department and the Armed Police Force were also closely monitoring his activities.
A high-ranking government source said the recent religious disputes in Nepalgunj have complicated the situation, as individuals involved in such provocative activities are not being brought to justice.
The government and security agencies are deeply concerned about religious disputes and attempts to sow discord in the country. They are closely monitoring individuals engaged in such activities, including Acharya Shriniwas, who has been released on bail but is still under surveillance.
Synonyms of religious extremism
The Nepali Army and the National Investigation Department recently submitted a report to the government, highlighting 14 organisations in Nepal involved in raising religious, social, cultural, and ethnic issues.
The report identifies Acharya Shriniwas as a key figure who has used religion to gain attention through controversial statements. It suggests these activities might have support from extremist groups, raising concerns about rising religious and ethnic tensions in Nepal.
An official from the National Security Council, which encompasses all four security agencies, also provides an analysis of Shriniwas’s activities over the past 10 years, shedding light on his true character.
“If you examine the background of assuming a religious persona and his conduct over the past 10 years, it appears that he is more of a religious extremist than a religious leader,” the Council’s analysis reads. “Because no religion advocates violence or the taking of lives.”
The incident on April 8, 2018, exemplifies the extent to which Shriniwas is willing to go in order to incite religious violence.
He orchestrated an attack on himself, arranging for someone to shoot him. In a startling admission, Acharya Shriniwas confessed to planning this act of violence, stating that he did it in pursuit of a Hindu nation.
Following that, the police arrested him. This incident starkly exemplifies Shriniwas’s extremist beliefs and his readiness to employ violence in the name of religious and nationalist ideals.
Influential figure
According to sources, he forged a close connection with King Gyanendra Shah by actively participating in various campaigns aimed at establishing a Hindu nation. His colleague, Pandit Narayan Aryal, mentioned that Acharya Shriniwas embarked on a hunger strike for nearly a year in Shantiwatika and Tundikhel in Kathmandu, fervently demanding the reinstatement of a Hindu nation. Subsequently, he also expanded his associations to include Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, India.
Acharya Shriniwas’s involvement in activities that incite religious violence has also been connected to Gyanendra Shah. According to investigators, he had a meeting with Shah just a month before the incident in which he planned to get shot.
During one interaction, Shriniwas allegedly said, “Meeting the king in the ashram was not a significant event.”
Acharya Shriniwas, now 32 years old, has been residing in Sunsari’s Chakraghatti since 2008. He has exerted a significant influence on his followers, particularly youth activists like Ramu Pokharel, who admire Shriniwas’s approach to studying religious scriptures, which has had a profound impact on them.
“Creating a Hindu nation is a natural calling for young minds if they want to be warriors for the cause,” he says.
It is reported that Shriniwas actively participated in various campaigns advocating for the establishment of a Hindu nation.
So, how did 32-year-old Dinesh Pandit of Bara become Acharya Shriniwas?
Shriniwas hails from Jitpur Simara Municipality-2 in Bara, and he was born in Nuwakot in 1991. He studied in a private school until the fifth grade, after which he pursued his education at a community school, ultimately completing his School Leaving Certificate (SLC). However, he dropped out of school during the 11th grade to join the religious campaign.
Later, he briefly studied Sanskrit at Nepal Ved Vidhyashram in Bankali, Kathmandu, and subsequently shifted to Kathmandu to actively engage in religious campaigns. It was during this period that he transitioned from being Dinesh Pandit to adopting the name Acharya Shriniwas.
The government has voiced concerns regarding Acharya Shriniwas’s activities, which have the potential to incite violence under the guise of religion and nationalism. Nonetheless, Aryal says, “It is an act of cowardice to brand everything that goes against the country or individual beliefs about religion and the nation as a crime. I don’t perceive any wrongdoing in what he says.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs has stated that individuals engaged in activities that foster social and religious discord, regardless of their legal status, will be subject to legal consequences.
Umakant Adhikari, the spokesperson for the ministry, says, “Engaging in actions that sow hatred among religions, castes, and cultures, or any form of misuse of social media to incite violence, will be addressed firmly by the administration.”
