There is no mention of the grand “assault” that took place on 27 February, 2012 in Dr. Dilip Datta’s own FIR filed at the Grand Bazaar Police Station, Puducherry. According to him, he was prevented from entering the office and someone tried to snatch the files that he was carrying. He does not mention of any physical contact whatsoever though he uses the word “scuffle” (which means “a short and sudden fight”, so I suppose he used the word in a vague sense, without knowing the exact connotation). This shows that Ajit, Arindam, Bulu, Gautam and Filio, who have gone on overdrive to disseminate the wrong information, are simply too hot-headed to be reliable. We quote below the relevant portion of the report of these ex-students along with the content of Dr Dilip Datta’s FIR. We also quote the version of the devotees and disciples who participated in the Silent Protest of 26 to 28 February, 2012.
When Dr. Datta was about to enter the Grace Office, the group of persons turned violent. They tried to snatch away his files, they held his shoulders and pushed him, physically assaulted him, and abused him with threatening language.
Ajit, Arindam, Bulu, Gautam
Posted on AURO1@yahoogroups.com"
Dr Dilip Datta’s Version in His FIR
This morning at around 10.00 am I came to attend our Trust Board meeting at 14 Saint Gilles Street, Puducherry. Some unknown persons prevented me from entering the office physically by surrounding me and tried to snatch the files that I was carrying in my hand and tried to thrust some papers into my hand. When I resisted they started using abusive and threatening language like “How dare you not do what we are asking you to do?” Some of our former Ashram students saw this and came to my rescue. They prevented further physical contact and brought me out of the scuffle and enabled me to enter the office. Two of your police constables were witness to the whole incident.
(Quoted from Dilip Datta’s FIR lodged at the Grand Bazaar Police Station, Puducherry)
Clarificatory Statement of the Devotees
Who Protested Against the Trustees
On 27th February, the second day of the recent Silent Protest, a group of anguished Beneficiaries was keen to submit a petition to the trustees of the Ashram Trust, detailing the lapses of the trustees. When they found the trustees going to the office of the trust board, they took the opportunity to personally submit their petition. This was done politely and with respect as seen in the video footage available.
The first three trustees entered their office rudely and disdainfully refused to receive the petition offered to them, and chose to walk into their office ignoring the pleas of the Beneficiaries to accept their petition. When one of the trustees, Dr Dilip Datta, was approached with the petition, he shouted at the Beneficiaries in anger and made racially insulting remarks. His daughter joined in and made racially insulting remarks against the people of Odisha. Some of the Beneficiaries asked Dr. Datta to apologise.
Dr Datta angrily and violently grabbed the petition, tore and crumpled it, and threw it in the gutter in full public view. He then began to violently push the Beneficiaries around him.
Dr Datta’s nephew was present and tried to prevent him from harming others. At several points in the video, he is seen grabbing Dr. Datta from behind and pulling him back, while Dr. Datta is straining and wildly flailing his arms to reach out and hit the Beneficiaries.
Eventually a family-friend and ex-student pulled him away from the crowd and guided him towards the trust office door. At this point, Dr. Datta suddenly turned around and again rushed towards the middle of the road.
He charged violently towards a group of Beneficiaries who backed off from him in surprise. Dr. Datta’s nephew grabbed him by the waist and pulled him back.
All this while the company of policemen had been hovering around Dr. Datta, ensuring that he did not hurt anyone. They now moved in and held him by the shoulders to dissuade him from using violence. Dr. Datta’s family-friend asked the policeman to let go of Dr. Datta. He then grabbed Dr. Datta and pulled him back to the trust office door.
Dr. Datta entered half-way, and then turned around in one last attempt to rush at the Beneficiaries. Matriprasad blocked his way and bodily forced him into the trust office and slammed the door behind them.
(Clarificatory Statement by the Devotees and Disciples who participated in the Silent Protest of 26 to 28 February, 2012.)
http://www.thelivesofsriaurobindo.com/2012/03/clarificatory-statement.html
Ex-Students’ Version
When Dr. Datta was about to enter the Grace Office, the group of persons turned violent. They tried to snatch away his files, they held his shoulders and pushed him, physically assaulted him, and abused him with threatening language.
Ajit, Arindam, Bulu, Gautam
Posted on AURO1@yahoogroups.com"
This morning at around 10.00 am I came to attend our Trust Board meeting at 14 Saint Gilles Street, Puducherry. Some unknown persons prevented me from entering the office physically by surrounding me and tried to snatch the files that I was carrying in my hand and tried to thrust some papers into my hand. When I resisted they started using abusive and threatening language like “How dare you not do what we are asking you to do?” Some of our former Ashram students saw this and came to my rescue. They prevented further physical contact and brought me out of the scuffle and enabled me to enter the office. Two of your police constables were witness to the whole incident.
(Quoted from Dilip Datta’s FIR lodged at the Grand Bazaar Police Station, Puducherry)
Who Protested Against the Trustees
On 27th February, the second day of the recent Silent Protest, a group of anguished Beneficiaries was keen to submit a petition to the trustees of the Ashram Trust, detailing the lapses of the trustees. When they found the trustees going to the office of the trust board, they took the opportunity to personally submit their petition. This was done politely and with respect as seen in the video footage available.
The first three trustees entered their office rudely and disdainfully refused to receive the petition offered to them, and chose to walk into their office ignoring the pleas of the Beneficiaries to accept their petition. When one of the trustees, Dr Dilip Datta, was approached with the petition, he shouted at the Beneficiaries in anger and made racially insulting remarks. His daughter joined in and made racially insulting remarks against the people of Odisha. Some of the Beneficiaries asked Dr. Datta to apologise.
Dr Datta angrily and violently grabbed the petition, tore and crumpled it, and threw it in the gutter in full public view. He then began to violently push the Beneficiaries around him.
Dr Datta’s nephew was present and tried to prevent him from harming others. At several points in the video, he is seen grabbing Dr. Datta from behind and pulling him back, while Dr. Datta is straining and wildly flailing his arms to reach out and hit the Beneficiaries.
Eventually a family-friend and ex-student pulled him away from the crowd and guided him towards the trust office door. At this point, Dr. Datta suddenly turned around and again rushed towards the middle of the road.
He charged violently towards a group of Beneficiaries who backed off from him in surprise. Dr. Datta’s nephew grabbed him by the waist and pulled him back.
All this while the company of policemen had been hovering around Dr. Datta, ensuring that he did not hurt anyone. They now moved in and held him by the shoulders to dissuade him from using violence. Dr. Datta’s family-friend asked the policeman to let go of Dr. Datta. He then grabbed Dr. Datta and pulled him back to the trust office door.
Dr. Datta entered half-way, and then turned around in one last attempt to rush at the Beneficiaries. Matriprasad blocked his way and bodily forced him into the trust office and slammed the door behind them.
(Clarificatory Statement by the Devotees and Disciples who participated in the Silent Protest of 26 to 28 February, 2012.)
http://www.thelivesofsriaurobindo.com/2012/03/clarificatory-statement.html
Throughout the world there is an unmistakable trend of common people rising up against their autocratic overlords and tyrants. No doubt there is a Divine decree that has gone forth that is behind this rapid overturning of all dictatorships and the breakdown of political thuggery.
ReplyDeleteIf the Ashram is a microcosm of the world and what happens in it is a representative of the world outside, then the Divine Will, as it manifests in the world, is also an indicator of what It seeks to achieve in the Ashram as well. The writing is on the wall for all to see.
This issue can only be resolved if the average Ashramite stands up and quietly, but firmly, rejects the stifling apparatus of unaccountable and non-transparent autocracy propped up by falsehood, intimidation and bribery, which the current management has foisted on them and now seeks to legitimize in the name of the Mother, specifically by recourse to the Trust Deed.
The true friends of the Ashram, as well as of the trustees themselves, are those that speak out and call a halt to the suicidal downward slide on which the collective has been accelerating under their reckless and negligent misrule. A positive outcome of the current crisis in the Ashram will surely constitute the next step in a virtuous cycle of more transparent and better accountable governance of people throughout the world.
We can aptly call this as The Book of Datta in The Epic of Dharana.
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