Hinduism can't say NO to ANY thing -Mr. Easy ?

Society Religion & Philosophy
1

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_986000/986750.stm

Detectives probe Hindu
priest’s gay links

The murdered man’s wife appeals to public
Detectives hunting the killer of one of Britain’s most
prominent Hindu priests are investigating his links to
the gay community.

The blood-soaked body of Harish Purohit, 42, was
found in an empty house in Leicester last Friday by his
father and younger brother.

A post mortem examination revealed he had been
stabbed 13 times, with the fatal wound piercing his
lungs.

His wife, solicitor Anjana Joshi, made a public appeal
to trace his killers on Monday as detectives hinted at a
hidden life.

The officer leading the murder hunt, Detective
Superintendent Bryan Warraker, said: "We know he
led a double life. He had a happy domestic home life
but also had a separate social lifestyle.

“We need help and
information from his friends
and associates in both
these facets of his life and I
can assure people that we
will treat any information
sensitively.”

A team of more than 100 officers - one of the biggest
inquiries carried out by Leicestershire Police - is
attempting to find a motive to the killing.

Mr Purohit, a part-time care worker, was last seen on
Thursday at 11pm when he left home in the Belgrave
district of Leicester for a night out, driving his silver
BMW 320i car.

‘Godly person’

His wife of four years, solicitor Anjana Joshi, 40, said:
"He was a truly godly person. He took away the
darkness and brought in the light wherever he was.

“He always wanted to help
people and never wanted
anything in return. He was
an incredible person and
gave people inspiration
and hope for the future.”

Mr Purohit combined his
role as a priest with his
duties as President of the
Hindu Federation and
Secretary of the National
Association of Hindu
Priests.

He was known for his sometimes outspoken views and
was an associate of Labour MP for Leicester East, Keith
Vaz, whom he met last week.

‘Tragedy for community’

Mr Vaz said: “He was a dynamic young priest who had
served the community in Leicester well. It is a tragedy
for the community and for his family.”

Detectives are trying to trace Mr Purohit’s movements
on the night of his murder. His body was found at
10.30am on Friday at Harrison Road, a terraced house
owned by his family.

A fire had been started in a downstairs room of the
house in what his family think may have been an
attempt to conceal the crime.

Police believe Mr Purohit may have known his killer as
there were no signs of a forced entry.

‘Many male friends’

“He had many friends throughout the Leicester area.
Information has come in that he would have been in
the Leicester area in the early hours of Friday
morning,” said Mr Warraker.

“From the information we have, Harish had a lot of
male friends that he went to meet and engage with in
the evenings.”

From where the body was found police believe he may
have been trying to get through the front door in a
desperate attempt to escape or to get help after being
attacked.

His locked car was found on Saturday evening less
than a mile from the murder scene and forensic
experts are taking it apart to look for clues.

2

Detectives probing the murder of Hindu priest Harish Purohit were
looking into allegations that he "blackmailed young men into having sex
with him" and he might have been killed by one of his victims.
The key point of the murder investigation is to focus on information
which detectives have received from within the gay community about
Purohit's dangerous homosexual encounters, British daily 'The Times'
quoting the officer heading the probe team reported on Saturday.

Police are also looking into claims that he, where Purohit’s body with
stab wounds was found last week, had used the partly burnt house, for
many years as an anonymous venue for sex with strangers.

Detective superintendent Bryan Warraker said the police were
investigating the blackmail allegations and the reports that Purohit
used the house for gay sex.

Purohit's sister-in-law, Mina Pandya, meanwhile, told the newspaper last
night that the family was too upset to discuss he latest allegations.
"This is just too much. He only passed away a week ago and we are all
still grieving. We don't need this," she said.

3

UK Hindu priest `blackmailed young men into having sex with him'
ANJALI MODY

London, October 29: A week after Harish Purohit, the priest at the Shree
Shakti Mandir in Leicester, was found murdered, more and more tales of
his dangerous double life are trickling out.

The police said that Purohit, 42, may have been murdered because of his
dubious dealings in the Asian gay community and revealed that he led a
double life -- respected priest, community leader and civil servant by
day and a manipulative, camp, promiscuous homosexual, who frequented the
seediest edge of the gay scene by night.

Purohit came to Britain, from east Africa, at age seven. His father,
also a priest, founded the Shree Shakti temple and brought up his sons
to be priests. Harish was the moderniser, attempting to bridge the gap
between older and younger members of Leicester's Hindu community. He
performed pujas in English and was happy to explain and discuss what lay
behind the ceremonies and rituals.

Harish had another job in the city's administration. He was a manager in
Leicester City Council's social services department and so doubly
respected. A few years ago he went into business with a friend setting
up and running a chain of care homes for people with learning
difficulties. The business was clearly successful and this reflected in
his flashy car, a silver BMW 320, and the house, where he was murdered,
that he was renovating.

In the week since he was found stabbed to death it has emerged that his
family and his partner of four years, solicitor Anjana Joshi, knew of
and accepted his sexuality, a fact that was hidden from the wider
community. Anjana Joshi, who revealed that the couple were trying to
have a child through IVF, said that she had always known about Harish's
sexuality and that this made no difference to their relationship. She
said: When you love someone, that love is unconditional.'' She
described the man she met after his first marriage broke down in 1992 as
agodly person who took away the darkness and brought in light
wherever he went. He was totally loving and caring, an incredible
person.''

Joshi's view of her lover is shared by many who worked with him. Purohit
was a popular priest, much praised for his work with young people in the
community. MP Keith Vaz who had been associated with him, described
Purohit as a a dynamic young priest who had served the community of
Leicester well.'' Mahendra Pandya, president of the National Association
of Hindu Priests, said:He was a kind and honest person. I can't
understand why anyone would want to hurt him.''

But those who knew Purohit the gay swinger saw a side to him that many
believe may have been the reason for his murder. An Asian gay friend of
Purohit's said: ``Harish had lots of enemies. He treated a lot of people
on the gay scene very badly. A lot of people didn't talk to him. They
hated him.''

It is alleged that Purohit exploited his status as respected community
leader to blackmail young men to have sex with him. According to a
report in The Observer newspaper, the ongoing police investigation has
found that Purohit would regularly use his position in the community to
force young men to have sex with him. As priest and community leader he
would offer support to Asians who had concerns about their sexuality and
encourage them to come out'' and then demand sexual favours. The paper
says that Purohit would threaten to tell the parents and friends of
those who refused to have sex with him that they were gay. Scared of
social ostracisation most complied. According to The Observer,On at
least one occasion he is accused of committing rape.'' As Purohit's
standing in the community grew so did his powers of manipulation. He
became a volunteer for a gay helpline and, according to The Observer,
``continued to use his blackmail tactics on the vulnerable Asians who
would call thehelpline. He would offer to meet them, discuss their
sexuality and then blackmail them into sex.''

Within the gay community he became a figure to be avoided at all costs.
A friend, who refused to be named, told the paper, ``He was a lovely
bloke with a fantastic smile and real charisma. He loved to camp it up
on his nights out and he loved dancing while on poppers. We had a lot of
good times but I stopped hanging around with him because I was being
tarred with the same brush. He was revered within the general Hindu
community because of his work as a priest but he was hated within the
gay community because of what he had done.''

This case is one of the most high profile murder hunts undertaken by the
Leicestershire police with over 100 officers working on the case.
However, the investigation is being hampered by the unwillingness of
people in the community to come forward with information. Despite
enormous publicity about the case, police helplines have received just
15 calls in the week since the murder.

Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.

   
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4

Not fair to single out people guys.....tons of Christian priests have been doing the same thing.

5

Very true hk. Azad Munna, i don't see the point of this thread. Doesn't matter if a person is a Hindu, a christian,etc., the actions of one shouldn't be made to reflect upon the community as a whole. Don't stereotype, it doesn't prove anything.