Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Sept. 3: Criticism from various quarters today forced the state tourism department to remove the controversial Trahi Achyuta Ashram at Jhinti Sasan from the list of tourist spots.

The ashram located on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar has been in the news since the arrest of its chief, Surendra Mishra alias Sura baba, and his two sons on several charges, including possession of firearms and molestation.

The department also removed the ashram from the tourist spots' list on its website. "In view of the ongoing crime branch inquiry against the ashram chief, we have decided to remove it from the list of places of tourism interest," said tourism and culture minister Ashok Panda.

Sources said the state government had included the site as a tourist spot in 2009. On Tuesday, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Prasad Harichandan criticised the government for giving the status of tourist destination to the controversial ashram.

In a related development, the crime branch today recovered cash reserves belonging to Sura, 65. So far, it has detected cash deposits to the tune of Rs 2.40 crore from the accounts belonging to Sura, his two sons and wife. These were stashed away in seven banks. Besides, a special team also detected money stashed in gunny bags in the denominations of 1,000 and 500 notes from a room behind the ashram's office. Cash worth Rs 25 lakh was also recovered from an iron chest in the ashram. Two cash-counting machines were seized from the ashram premises.

An 11-member team of the crime branch seized various bank documents, including passbooks, in the name of Sura and his relatives. The team also conducted an inquiry at the SBI branch at Achyut Nagar on the ashram premises. It also seized palm leaf manuscripts from the ashram. Sura used to collect money from his visitors by claiming to solve their problems through a reading of these manuscripts.

Yesterday, it stumbled upon a single bank account in the name of Achyutananda Trust with a deposit of Rs 66 lakh.

The police had also found Rs 3.34 lakh in cash and 900 grams of gold jewellery from Sura's daughters-in-law. Similarly, they had also recovered fixed deposits worth Rs 22 lakh, 27 LIC bonds and 13 insurance polices.

A crime branch official said it started the process of recording the statements of various complainants.

Protests continued to take place against Sura with people setting fire to the Trahi Achyuta Ashram at Ragda in Balasore. Yesterday, the mob ransacked the Achyuta Ashram at Jayadurga Nagar near Chatrapur in Ganjam.