Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Aug 13: Four days after its volunteer Ravi Kumar was found dead in Netravati river at Adamkudru here, ISKCON Mangaluru has issued a press statement explaining the tragic turn of events and assuring that ISKCON Mangaluru would fully cooperate with the probe.
Ravi Kumar (25) from Bengaluru had been associated with ISKCON from four years. He went missing a few days before his body was found in a decomposed state on August 9, with the wire of a mobile charger around his neck and his body tied to a heavy stone placed inside a bag. His family had claimed that it was a case of murder and accused ISKCON Mangaluru chief Tarunya Sagar Das of being responsible for it, and accordingly a case was registered in Ullal police station. It is learnt that though police have questioned four or five persons including Tarunya Sagar so far, no arrest has been made yet.
The press release from ISKCON Mangaluru reads:
"We are extremely saddened to hear about the death of Ravi Kumar, a missionary devotee of ISKCON Mangaluru. Ravi Kumar was an enthusiastic devotee who has rendered valuable services to ISKCON temple and Akshaya Patra in Mangaluru. On Thursday, August 6 he was last seen in the temple at about 7 pm but did not return to the ashram that night. We were hoping that he would arrive in one of our temples or return to the ashram soon.
"In the past, there was an instance when he had gone on a pilgrimage to Vrindavan without informing the temple management. On his return, we had guided him that is extremely important for the temple management and peers to know the whereabouts of travelling devotees for their own safety and wellbeing. He had agreed to this request and promised to adhere to this advice.
"Since there was no news about him on Saturday, August 8, we immediately informed Ravi Kumar's parents of his uninformed absence. His parents came to Mangalore on August 9 morning. By mid-day on August 9 we received the unfortunate news that his body was found in Netravati river.
"We are awaiting the post-mortem report and the devotees of ISKCON Mangaluru will fully cooperate with the police officials to investigate the cause of this unfortunate occurrence. We pray that the Lord keep Ravi Kumar's soul always under His loving care and protection. We deeply empathize with the grief of the parents and share their pain caused due to this irreparable loss. We fervently pray that the Lord gives them the strength to bear this difficult time.
"Devotees of ISKCON Mangaluru, as per ISKCON practice, conducted a special condolence meet on August 11," the release states.