Puttaparthi:
In Sathya Sai Baba's Puttaparthi, things are changing. Following the spiritual leader's death there are serious doubts about financial irregularities in the way the enormously rich Trust is functioning - with police even questioning two Trust members - something unheard of in the past.
A public meeting was held in Puttaparthi's Hanuman temple today - the first of its kind - organised in the little town to discuss the current scenario. With rumours of financial irregularity mounting against some Trust members, representatives from NGOs and political parties demanded clarity, but nobody from the Trust was present to answer them.
"After the death of Sathya Sai Baba, this place is losing its divinity. There are doubts about Trust leaders...we are discussing about what to do...All the hard work of Baba is being lost through these happenings," said K Nagendra Kumar, an NGO representative.
The meeting was held close to the home of Ratnakar, a Trust member and the nephew of Sathya Sai Baba. Ratnakar was questioned for hours by the police yesterday over the movement of lakhs in cash from the ashram.
However, there are those who still have faith and believe that this dark cloud will pass.
"In a family little bit problems ...the law is there...What you see depends upon your mind...Devotees don't bother about the Trust," said Shivaiah, a school principal in Puttaparthi.
On June 17, close to Rs 11.56 crore in cash were found in Yajur Mandir, which was Sai Baba's private chamber at his ashram. 98 kilos of gold and 307 kilos of silver were also found. At that time, trustees said the cash was being counted in the presence of income tax officials and was being deposited in the State Bank of India.
Two days later on June 19, police in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district seized Rs 35.5 lakh from a car belonging to the trust and arrested the driver of the vehicle Harishnanda Shetty. A trust official V Srinivasan was believed to have given him the money. This led to allegations that the trust money was being removed from the ashram premises. Sai Baba's nephew RJ Ratnakar, who is also a member of the trust, was questioned by the Andhra Pradesh police on Friday in connection with this seizure. Police is also interrogating V Srinivasan.
The Sai Baba Trust is now under pressure as there is just too much at stake for the public to settle for uncertainty when it comes to the handling of the incredible assets of the Trust.