In an unusual episode that has stirred both administrative debate and political rhetoric, a monk residing in Siliguri was summoned by the Election Commission after declaring spiritual figures Sri Ramakrishna Dev and Sarada Devi as his parents on his voter registration form.
The monk, Swami Raghavananda Puri, has been living at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Ashram in Baghajatin Colony, Pradhannagar, for over two decades. He is enrolled under polling booth number 27 in the Siliguri Assembly constituency and has voted from the same address multiple times in the past.
According to Election Commission sources, Puri listed Ramakrishna Dev as his father and Sarada Devi as his mother in the enumeration form submitted during the voter list revision process. This declaration led election officials to flag his application, following which he was asked to appear for a hearing before the Election Commission in Siliguri.
On Wednesday afternoon, the monk appeared at the office of the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), accompanied by one of his disciples. He submitted several identity documents, including his PAN card, Aadhaar card, and passport, all of which, notably, carry the same details regarding his parentage.
After the hearing, Puri responded with measured calm. “I have submitted all the documents to the commission. If they wish to retain my name on the voter list, they will. If not, there is nothing I can do,” he said.
His disciple, Vedabrata Dutta, however, described the episode as deeply distressing and unwarranted. He explained that after renouncing worldly life, the monk performed the Viraja Homa ritual, took sannyasa, and symbolically conducted his own funeral rites, customary practices that signify the severance of all earthly ties in the monastic tradition.
“After that, he adopted the name Swami Raghavananda Puri and accepted Ramakrishna Dev and Sarada Mani Devi as his spiritual parents. He has lived here since 2002 and has voted four times. Summoning him now amounts to harassment. This is unacceptable,” Dutta said.
Election officials, however, maintained that the issue stemmed from procedural discrepancies. Booth Level Officer Manisha Goswami stated that the monk had not mentioned certain information related to the year 2002 in his enumeration form, resulting in his name being placed in an “unmapped” category.
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“He was born in 1981 and has produced one of the 13 documents recognised by the Commission. We hope the matter will be resolved,” she said.
The incident quickly assumed political overtones. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Bedabrata launched a sharp attack, accusing the Centre of insulting Bengal’s cultural and spiritual icons.
“First, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was insulted. Now even Ramakrishna and Sarada Ma are not being recognised. The BJP’s puppets have humiliated a monk. Despite chanting Sanatani slogans, the saffron party is clearly against Hindu monks,” he alleged.
The BJP dismissed the accusations as politically motivated. Anandamoy Barman, BJP MLA from Matigara–Naxalbari, said the party had no role in the Election Commission’s actions.
“The BJP has nothing to do with this. With their downfall imminent, the Trinamool is seeing BJP ghosts everywhere. The Commission acted strictly according to law. There is nothing objectionable in this, and it is acceptable if monks and spiritual figures do not feature on the voter list,” he said.
As the Election Commission examines the submitted documents, the case has sparked a broader debate on the friction between spiritual identity and bureaucratic formalism, underscoring how faith, law, and politics continue to collide in unexpected ways.
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