What was the big secret?

Professor and a longtime volunteer at Puttaparthi ashram has written to the Andhra govt, asking why Sathya Sai Baba's caretakers stonewalled questions about his health for the past year

What was the big secret?

Professor and a longtime volunteer at Puttaparthi ashram has written to the Andhra govt, asking why Sathya Sai Baba's caretakers stonewalled questions about his health for the past year

Devotees throng the Sai Kulwant Hall of Prashanti Nilayam ashram in Puttaparthi for a final glimpse of Sathya Sai Baba. The funeral is on Wednesday

In a letter he sent the Andhra Pradesh government yesterday, Professor Shyamsundar, a volunteer and devotee at the ashram since 1968, levelled serious allegations against the late guru's personal assistant Sathyajit and other caretakers, alleging that they had kept the public in the dark about Baba's health since the past year or so after he fell ill.

Sathyajit took responsibility of looking after Baba after he tripped and injured himself in 2003. He was rarely seen in public after 2005.

Shyamsundar has also written that security around Baba was very tight and he was not seen for a long time. "Devotees were told that he could not be disturbed as his health was poor, but proper information about his health condition was always ambiguous," he wrote in the letter.

Out of bounds
Besides, he alleged that the room in which Baba was kept before he was hospitalised was locked. Also, the lift connecting the room to the ground floor was also locked.

"Baba was under medication, and we suspect he was served with a high dosage of medicine. When asked about the details of the medicine he was being administered, the doctors refused to comment," he said.

He said he once managed to see Baba, who was frail and tired. "I was shocked to see him in such a state. He had become so lean and weak that he was unrecognisable," he added.

Hordes of devotees swarmed Prashanthi Nilyam ashram in Puttaparthi to pay their last respects to the spiritual guru.

"The scenes witnessed following the announcement of Baba's illness raised several questions.

There is nothing wrong in having an enquiry. After all, Baba was a public figure and his devotees have the right to know the truth," said Adikeshavalu Naidu, Member of Parliament and former chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (a temple trust).

While many devotees have cried foul over the developments after their guru was hospitalised on March 28, and demanded details of treatment, Bhaskar Reddy, a lawyer from Puttaparthi, has moved the district court of Ananthapuram. The court has admitted his petition and the case is pending.

Aravinda Rao, director general and inspector general of police of Andhra Pradesh, has asked the police to probe into the issue and update him.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba (1926 - 2011)

"We are viewing the issue from various angles, but I can't discuss anything at this point of time," Rao told MiD DAY.

The members of the Sathya Sai Central Trust were not available for comment.

Andhra govt won't take over the trust
Putting speculation about the future of the Satya Sai Central Trust at rest, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Reddy said the government would not take over the society. "Our priority is to carry forward his social works, but we are not considering taking over the trust," he said

A visit by a team headed by C V Subramanya, principle secretary for finance to Puttaparthy, led to speculations that the government may take over the trust whose assets are valued at Rs 40,000 crore.

Several devotees even believed that he had passed away much before it was officially declared, as the government needed time to complete formalities to take over.
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Seeking to clear the air, A N Safayi, medical director of the Satya Sai Institute of Medical Sciences, said, "He passed away at 7.40 am on Sunday and there must be no confusion about it."

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