The arrest of the Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Muth on 12th November has become a controversial issue – perhaps it was always going to be one.

Charged with involvement in the murder of a former administrator of the Math, the Shankaracharya was arrested in a fashion that is becoming a characteristic of Jayalalitha’s administration, in a nightly swoop by commandos from the Tamil Nadu police while at a function in Andhra Pradesh. The administration claims that they had significant evidence suggesting that the Shankaracharya ordered the killing. There seems to be evidence that the police, though arresting him during the auspicious time of Diwali, have been respectful to his person.

Given the politics of Tamil Nadu and a definite anti-Brahmin tenor in both major parties of that state, many argue that the arrest was politically motivated. After all, the Tamil Nadu administration (irrespective of which of the two parties has been at the helm) has had an interest in taking over the Math. Jayalalitha’s administration, while on one hand staking legal righteousness based on claims of strong evidence, also gains major points from the Dalit movements, many of whom have perceived the Math as an inimical institution. The DMK is also playing out a campaign to take advantage of some of these sentiments.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and BJP have attempted to gain some political advantage from these events by arguing that such action would not have been take against an Imam or a priest of such standing and that this arrest reeks of pampering the minority classes. Unfortunately, the party making the arrest is in opposition at the center and is in fact aligned with the BJP. Leaders of BJP, including Mr. Advani, attempted to put together a farce of a fast (starting at 10 am and ending at 3:30 am and thus not eating anything for an entire period of five and half hours) with very little public support.

The Dalits who have historically claimed exploitation by Brahminical institutions, and see the Math as one such institution, are indifferent if not pleased about this turn of events. This is despite the Math's claims to have started numerous schools and hospitals for people across caste, religion and class lines. Numerous Dalit leaders have expressed overt happiness at the turn of events while others have stated that the law should run its course and if the Acharya is not guilt, he should be freed.

Various Hindu, Muslim and Christian religious leaders have issued statements of sorrow and sympathy for the Shankaracharya from Kanchi. However, a few Hindu religious leaders have argued that the Shankaracharya should give up his position till his name is cleared so that the position itself is not sullied.

The followers of the Math – and there are millions – have been badly affected. Most have been shocked at the turn of events; that the head of their most venerable institution could be charged with murder was unimaginable. Many feel that the respect accorded for that position has been sullied and will not be reversed even if the Shankaracharya is found. Some are angry with the state for having arrested such an important figure while numerous other politicians with similar charges are allowed to go free. Any show of leniency would actually hurt the Shankaracharya and the Math. While Jayalalitha, Karunanidhi or others of their pursuits are unaffected by charges of corruption, any step that would lead to such a perception vis-à-vis the head of the Math would actually harm the image of the Math as well as the position of the Shankaracharya even further. At this point, then, as the Math itself suggests on its website, the best thing to do is to pray that Shankaracharya is indeed not guilty and is thus judged by the courts of law.

That and to take on the media which has thus far largely presented a rather one-sided image of the Shankaracharya. Besides a couple of articles in Indian Express and The Hindu, most papers have presented the Shankaracharya as a power seeking, manipulating head of a 5000 crore empire with a lustful demeanor. This has certainly hurt the sentiments of a large number of his followers. They argue that there is another dimension to this man who they revere as their spiritual leader. They see him as a scholarly ascetic who has taken an institution that was largely religious to become increasingly engaged in social issues by building schools, hospitals and other public spaces. Even though certain Dalit leaders argue that these schools sometimes reinforce caste differences, the followers of the Math argue that he is beyond caste simply by being a Shankaracharya and a sanyasi. In any case, the media seems to have decided that this man is guilty even though the courts have not begun their process. In these economic times, the sales of news through pandering to sensationalism do seem to have overtaken a need to respect sentiments or even provide a more balanced analysis of the events unfolding.