The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Police cane ashram devotees

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 26, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Police cane ashram devotees

Staff Reporter

Two swamijis engaged in succession struggle
Government had banned celebrations

BANGALORE: The police caned devotees of the Omkarashrama near Kengeri here when they forcibly attempted to enter the ashrama defying ban orders imposed by the Government.

The quarterly aradhana of departed Shivapuri Swamiji, the founder of the ashrama, was to take place on Thursday. The ashram is in the throes of a succession struggle between Madhusudhanandapuri Swamiji and Purushottamanandapuri Swamiji and the Government on Wednesday night took over the ashrama’s management, appointing a special tahsildar to look after the administration.

The Government also banned any kind of celebrations within the ashrama but permitted Purushottamanandapuri Swamiji to perform just puja.

Meanwhile, thousands of devotees, mainly from the Uppara community to which the departed swamiji belonged, converged near the ashrama since morning and attempted to enter the premises.

The former Minister H. Vishwanath and MLC H.C. Neeravari were present. The former Minister D.T. Jayakumar was injured on his leg during the stampede that followed the lathicharge.

Purushottamanandapuri Swamiji told presspersons that the Upparas had expected Balagangadharanatha Swamiji of Adichunchanagiri Math to install a successor from the community.After the demise of Shivapuri Swamiji, Madhusudhanandapuri Swamiji took over the ashrama management on the basis of a will purportedly written by the late Swamiji. However, Purushottamanandapuri Swamiji claimed that he was the real successor on the basis of a later will.

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