Says the father of a ISKCON devotee, who has been missing since November 21, 2008
Says the father of a ISKCON devotee, who has been missing since November 21, 2008
Sandeep Tomar, 33, is missing since November 21, 2008 and his family regret the day they allowed him to become a follower of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
An otherwise spiritual MR Tomar, Sandeep's father and a CISF deputy Commandant, believes that the Society which is involved in "unscrupulous activities" lured his son away.
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The Society's ideology touched him deeply and Sandeep became too engrossed in the activities of the spiritual sect to care about his family responsibilities.
"He (Sandeep) told us that he was motivated to leave family to find spiritual peace. I am sure he was brainwashed by the community and must be at one of the ISKCON centers. The community is misguiding devotees," Sandeep's father alleged.
After his father shifted to Delhi, Sandeep came in close contact with the spiritual sect followed by a radical shift in his behaviour towards the family.
"From a cheerful guy, Sandeep went to be aloof and quiet. He used to pick up fights with everyone at the slightest provocation," the CISF official added.
"He had started praying at odd hours for Deeksha but we wanted him to lead a normal life," he said.
A father of two girls, Sandeep, left his family without leaving any clue behind.
"Ours is a very religious family and there was no way we could have stopped our son from moving towards spirituality. But, it is so ironic that I have to lose my son to a temple," Sandeep's father added.
He alleged that the ISKCON had "misguided his son" due to which Sandeep left his family.
The ISKCON management refuted the allegations, saying itu00a0 had no clue about the case. "We are sure Sandeep is not with us. Devotees from all over the world come here for membership, but we have not received any such complaints before," ISKCON authorities told MiD DAY.
However, Sandeep' father claimed that he heard about similar cases while visiting various ISKCON centres. "I heard about a devotee who left his home and was later found at an ISKCON centres after six months."
Sandeep was last seen by one of his friends inside the ISKCON temple in Delhi.
Though disappointed, the family is leaving no stone unturned to trace him. "We went to Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hardwar and Vrindavan centers in search of Sandeep but to no avail. I have also e-mailed my son's picture to allu00a0 branches of the temple. However, they are not cooperating," he said.
He also lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police, following which raids were conducted at the East of Kailash colony and near by areas. But, so far no clues could be established.
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