Indian Monk Found Hanging Inside Temple, Deceased Seer Was Convicted For Molesting 'Depressed' Teen Girl

A 70-year-old Indian monk who was convicted of molesting a "depressed" teen girl hanged himself inside a temple in Mumbai on Wednesday, May 19.

The deceased seer, identified as Manohar Lal Muni Maharaj, left behind a suicide note in which he wrote that a Guru in his dream told him that, his work on this planet was over.

On Thursday, the monk was found hanging from a ceiling fan at the Jain temple at Ghatkopar (East).

"We found a suicide note, which said he had a dream where his Guru asked him to sacrifice the world and join him in the afterlife…Desai said this was why he was committing suicide," Pant Nagar police station’s Senior Inspector Sushil Kamble told The New Indian Express.

Emergency services responded to the temple and pronounced the man dead. The body was transported to Rajawadi hospital for an autopsy.

"There is nothing suspicious. We have recovered the suicide note in which he mentioned why he is taking the extreme step. We are conducting further probe into the case," Deputy Commissioner of Police (zone-7) Prashant Kadam told the outlet.

In March 2012, the now-deceased monk was found guilty of molesting a "depressed" 19-year-old girl under the pretext of treating her.

Earlier this month, a session court sentenced him to serve two years in prison. However, the arrest was withheld due to the ongoing pandemic situation.

A case of accidental death has been registered in connection with the incident.

In a similar incident, a priest gave poisoned laced water to his children saying it will protect them from Covid-19. The 45-year-old man then attempted to kill himself by consuming the same poison.

The incident happened, Sunday, May 2, in the city of Rajkot in Gujarat, India.

According to police, the man was battling depression after being reportedly cheated by two persons to whom he sold his house.

The priest had also saved some of the poisonous drink for his wife, but then later drank it himself as she was busy in the kitchen.

The three were rushed to a nearby hospital after the children complained about breathing difficulty. They were reported to be in critical condition.