Spiritual guru shoots self
Spiritual guru Bhayyuji Maharaj, who had friends in both the BJP and the Congress, apart from a following among celebrities, allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday at his Indore residence by shooting himself in the head with his licensed revolver.
He did so while sitting on a bean bag in his daughter’s room. A suicide note, purportedly in his handwriting, was found at the spot; it cited his inability to fight ‘stress’ and mentioned that he was ‘fed up’. The weapon used by him was recovered from the crime scene.
The Madhya Pradesh Congress has asked for a CBI probe into the death. Just hours before, Maharaj tweeted birthday greetings to Narendra Singh Tomar, the Union minister for rural development, panchayat raj and mines.
The body was found lying in a pool of blood after his wife asked sewadars to break open the door. Inspector General of Police Makrand Deoskar said all aspects of the case were being investigated and family members will be questioned. Sources close to Bhaiyyu Maharaj claim that he was suffering from depression for some time. His first wife, Madhavi, had passed away in November 2015. He had remarried Dr Ayushi Sharma, a native of Shivpuri, on April 30.
The ‘spiritual’ guru had courted controversy on his wedding day after a woman, who claimed to be an actress, accused him of "cheating" on her and termed him a "trickster", reports IANS.
Following his first wife’s death, the relations between him and the daughter born from his first wife had become strained. He had escaped an alleged attack on his car near Pune in 2016, while on way back to Indore after meeting his daughter.
He was recently at the centre of a controversy after MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan nominated five spiritual leaders - including Bhaiyyuji Maharaj - as ministers in charge of conservation of the river Narmada. Maharaj had refused the offer, saying ‘‘a post has no importance for a saint".
‘‘We are sad. Why did he have to commit suicide? A probe is necessary. We don't know what happened," said Computer Baba, another MadhyaPradesh based spiritual leader recommended for a ministerial post by the state government.
Maharaj's real name was Udaysinh Deshmukh. He claimed to derive his spiritual lineage from Nath Sampradaya, a mystical branch said to be initiated by Lord Shiva. Although his main ashram was in Indore, he enjoyed a large following in parts of Maharashtra. He used a combination of techniques - Vaastu, gemology, meditation, aura healing – as a therapeutic remedy.
During the anti-corruption crusade of 2011, the Congressled government had asked Maharaj to mediate and persuade Anna Hazare to end his fast. He was also invited by Narendra Modi when, as Chief Minister of Gujarat, he sat on a "Sadbhavna (harmony) fast".
Prior to becoming a spiritual guru, he had done a modelling stint, his disciples said. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and former President Pratibha Patil were regular visitors at his ashram.