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Insider's role suspected in untoward happenings in Mutt

Last Updated 09 April 2013, 20:32 IST

While mystery shrouds the death of three junior seers of Ganeshwar Avadhoot Mutt near Bidar, as well as the death of the senior pontiff in February, the police suspect the involvement of a Mutt insider in the untoward developments witnessed by the religious institution at Chowli village.

The Chowli Mutt does not have a long history. Established in 1989, it stands almost deserted today following a number of disturbing developments in the last three-four years culminating in Monday’s tragedy. The needle of suspicion points to the ambitious Ashok Swamy, also a seer at the Mutt, according to the police.

According to police sources, in a bid to take control of the Mutt, Ashok Swamy started creating a chasm between the devotees and the Mutt founder Ganeshwar Avadhoot (54), who himself attained ‘salvation’ under mysterious circumstances on February 28.

Ashok Swamy was upset that a senior Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board officer Rajshekhar Patil became close to the senior pontiff after his daughter’s spinal cord ailment was cured with the seer’s blessings.

 Besides, Ashok Swamy reportedly had a tiff with Boranchi brothers of Chowli village who wanted to have an approach road on the other side of the Mutt by using its land.

In fact, it was the Boranchi brothers who had given land for the establishment of the Mutt in 1989. Though the senior seer was sympathetic to the request of the Boranchi brothers, Ashok Swamy was against it. Some junior seers had resisted Ashok Swamy’s opposition.

Maruti Swamy, the senior most seer after the founder, was prominent among those who had opposed Ashok Swamy, the sources said.

On December 31, 2012, Maruti Swamy was physically assaulted and he disappeared under mysterious circumstances on January 31, 2013. His whereabouts are not known till today, although the police believe that he is alive. After these developments, the Mutt started getting bad publicity in the media.

This had disturbed the senior seer.

During one of his discourses, Ganeswhar Avadhoot Swamy had openly expressed his dismay over the developments and spelt out his plan to attain ‘mukti.’ Within a fortnight after that discourse, he died on the Mutt premises.

“There was no complaint lodged about his death. Moreover, the seers in the Mutt stoutly opposed conducting post-mortem. Within a few hours after his death, his ‘samadhi’ was built on the Mutt premises,’’ said Bidar Superintendent of Police Dr Thyagarajan. 

He said though a case was registered in regard Maruti Swami going missing, investigations had not made much progress.

After Ashok Swamy started implicating Boranchi brothers in Maruti Swamy’s missing case by filing  habeas corpus petitions, the residents of Chowli village started distancing from the Mutt. “As many as four habeas corpus petitions have been filed with myself being an accused. It is a mischievous act. We will take legal action against the person concerned,” Dr Thayagarajan told Deccan Herald.

The only solace for the police and the district administration is that Monday’s incident has not created any law and order problem.

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(Published 09 April 2013, 20:32 IST)

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