Kolkata, March 20 -- The Bharat Sevashram Sangha (BSS) on Friday expelled Swami Jyotirmayananda, popularly known as Utpal Maharaj, after he entered electoral politics as a BJP candidate from the Kaliaganj assembly constituency in Uttar Dinajpur district.
The decision was conveyed through a letter issued by Sangha's general secretary, Swami Biswatmananda, following an emergency meeting of its governing body at the headquarters. The letter stated that the monk had "stepped into a political trap" and abandoned the ashram to join active politics, prompting immediate disciplinary action.
Reiterating its long-held position, the Sangha described itself as a strictly apolitical, socio-religious organisation, where monks, brahmacharis, and residen...