CLIMBING THE SPIRITUAL LADDER
Bhubaneswar, Aug. 31: The arrests of Surendra Mishra alias Sura baba, 65, and his two sons - Biranchi, 37, and Trilochan, 40 - this morning were not enough to calm Balakati residents, who vandalised the Trahi Achyut ashram of the self-styled spiritual leader on Sunday evening.
After causing intensive damage to ashram property, which included setting afire 30 vehicles, on Sunday evening, the mob returned today and indulged in further vandalism.
Fearing that things were getting out of control, police clamped prohibitory orders in the vicinity of the ashram, which is located on the outskirts of the city.
This did not help in cooling tempers with angry residents turning their ire on the police. As the cops tried to disperse the gathering, they were pelted with stones.
Several policemen, including inspector in-charge of Chandrasekharpur police station D.S. Pratap, suffered injuries as the policemen tried their best to act in restraint, obviously trying not to repeat the fiasco that erupted during the arrest of another controversial self-proclaimed spiritual leader Sarathi baba in Kendrapara on August 8.
The Sarathi baba episode eventually took a political turn and the state government was compelled to suspend the then Kendrapara police chief Satish Gajbhiye for mishandling the situation.
Learning from the Kendrapara incident, the police appeared much restrained today. However, they had to fire teargas shells and baton charge the mob to bring the situation under control. So far, 12 persons have been arrested for acts of arson at the ashram yesterday. Fifteen platoons of police have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
As Sura baba had been allegedly operating from several places in the state, the violence at the Trahi Achyut ashram sparked off similar protests and vandalism at facilities in Puri, Khurda, Jajpur and Balasore.
Earlier in the day, the police picked up Sura baba and his two sons from Jhinti Sasan near Balianta. The police have lodged cases against the spiritual leader and his sons under Section 25 of the Arms Act following recovery of two air guns and three live bullets from the ashram last night. The police have also registered two other cases against Sura.
The police arrested Sura on the basis of a complaint lodged by social activist Jayanta Kumar Bhoi, who alleged that four Dalit boys were picked up by some of his disciples from within the ashram premises 15 days ago and beaten up.
Consequently, the police have slapped a case on Sura under Section 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 294 (use of obscene language), 506 (criminal intimidation) and section 3(I)(x) of the ST and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Today, the police also registered another case against the spiritual leader on the basis of a complaint filed by a married woman. She alleged that she had been molested by Sura.
"Sura baba had taken Rs 1.2 lakh in 2005 for performing a puja to solve my family problems. Later, he forced me to stay in the ashram in 2007 and since then he and his followers have been putting pressure on me to get involved in immoral acts," she said.
Another woman today approached the police alleging that Sura had created a rift between her and her husband.
Police commissioner R.P. Sharma said that further investigation was on.
"We will take the baba in remand for further investigation," Sharma said.
