The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Painter’s body kept unburied for two days

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Tuesday, Feb 26, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Painter’s body kept unburied for two days

Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD: In an act of blind faith, friends of a painter, Shivaraj, 28, who died two days ago, kept his body without burying it, hoping that he would come alive due to the power of meditation.

The weird case came to light on Monday at Kammaguda village of Turkayamzal in Vansthalipuram police station area after foul smell started emanating from the decomposed body. The police registered a case under Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infectious diseases) and 290 (public nuisance) of the Indian Penal Code and arrested one of the painter’s friends, Naveen, a medical transcriptionist.

Rajneesh followers

“We learnt that Naveen, Shivaraj and their friends are followers of Osho Rajneesh’s philosophy and used to attend classes of mediation at a centre in B.N. Reddynagar,” the Vanasthalipuram Inspector M. Chandrashekhar said. Shivaraj is married and has a four-year-old daughter.

His parents told the police that he was suffering from jaundice for the past eight months. Shivaraj used to reside in a rented room at B.N. Reddynagar.

As Shivraj’s condition worsened, his friends shifted him to his house in Kammaguda few days ago. He was consuming only milk then.

Though his family members shifted him to Osmania General Hospital but the painter left the hospital against medical advice. On Friday, Shivaraj told his family members that he was going into deep meditation and should not be disturbed.

The painter confined himself to a room and subsequently fell unconscious.

Shivaraj’s friends reportedly did not allow his family members to touch or try to talk to him stating that he would become healthy soon. As foul odour began to emanate from the body, the villagers grew suspicious and alerted the police on Monday.

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Andhra Pradesh