Sathya Sai Baba’s ashrams, deaths and suicides

Whole family suicide at Prashanthi Nilayam: 4-12-1998.
In a hotel near the Satya Sai Airport, Ramesh aged 42, a multimillionaire industrialist in Tiruchirappally, owner of RMH Corporation, was found dead with seven other family members lying unconscious on the floor frothing at the mouth beside his daughter who already died of a brain tumour the day before. Six died within the day, while one person survived (Shankar). The police concluded that the whole family committed suicide because of the daughter’s death and the shock this was to their faith in Sai Baba, who they had expected to save her. There was a suicide note: “God has forsaken us. I had great affection and love for my daughter. So we are going to the place where she has gone. No one is responsible for our death. I myself have influenced all the members to commit suicide to become one with Sai Baba. We are offering ourselves at his feet. All our properties have to be transferred to the Satya Sai Trust. The shradda ceremony should be done by my friend Ramakrishnan.”

Another such incident: On Sunday May 13, 1990, Keith Ord and I, Alexandra Nagel, left Whitefield and booked a cheap hotel room in Bangalore. On May 15, Keith had to go back for some business to Sai Baba’s ashram in Whitefield, and returned in the evening with the story that some Indian man during the afternoon darshan had caused uproar. He seemed to have accused Sai Baba of certain things or so. The seva dals, the people who lead the masses in the ashram in good order, had put the man, on Baba’s request, (editor’s underlining) outside the gate of the ashram. The following morning, (Monday 14), the man had arrived again. He then, outside the entrance, poured gasoline on himself and put himself to fire. The next day he had died of his wounds. Baba apparently had done nothing, and except a few, no one actually had done something to help the man. As if everybody had been indifferent.

Suicide of Baba’s long-term personal driver: An Indian man used to drive Sai Baba’s car from the 1950s until about 1986 (he is mentioned in Kasturi’s biography of Sai Baba as having driven over a snake, for which Sai Baba admonished him). He was out driving alone when he knocked down and killed a villager near Puttaparthi. The ashram authorities at Prashanthi Nilayam – in the absence of Sai Baba at Whitefield - hushed up the accident directly by paying the relatives compensation. The driver was immediately excluded from the ashram permanently, where he had lived for decades. He had recently been warned by Sai Baba to drive more carefully. He had nowhere to go, and no means of livelihood, whereupon he sat before the Shiva statue in the Hillview Stadium, doused himself in petrol and set fire to it. He died of his injuries. This account was given to me, Robert Priddy, by V.K. Narasimhan when I asked him to clear up the matter I had from another source.

Student dies in car crash A fatal incident happened in 1989 when two of Swami’s students - who all said were very special boys of his - died of their injuries in a car accident. One boy had written a note that was found in his trouser pocket in which he begged Swami to merge with him as he had already seen enough! Baba reportedly said to the doctors, who felt they should have got the boy to Bangalore to try to save him, that they should not confuse practicality with Grace.

Three die after putting faith in guru. Dominic Kennedy reported (27-8-2001) in The Times (London) that three British men died mysteriously after becoming followers of Sathya Sai Baba and that his activities were being studied by the Foreign Office which was planning to send out a warning against the guru to travellers. Three Britons apparently took their lives after having placed their hopes in Sai Baba. One had complained of being repeatedly sexually molested by Sathya Sai Baba at his ashram in Puttaparthi near Bangalore.

Michael Pender was found dead at a London hostel from alcohol and painkillers. He had previously tried to take his own life at Sathya Sai Baba’s ashram.
Aran Edwards was found at home in Cardiff; he hanged himself, despite having joined a Sai Baba support group where he was told to write to the guru for help with his psychological problems. His father sent many anxious letters to Sai Baba but “was devastated after receiving no replies and being told that the guru did not read his mail”.
Andrew Richardson, a South African-born Britian, jumped from the top of a building in India just after visiting Sai Baba’s ashram.
Tom Sackville, a former Home Office Minister, urged the Government to take decisive action to warn teachers and pilgrims of the dangers of becoming involved with Sathya Sai Baba.
Mr Sackville, chairman of the anti-cult organisation Fair (Family Action Information and Resource) told that they had successfully persuaded a girls’ school to reject a Sai Baba-inspired course.
Mr Sackville was reported as saying”Some other countries would have had official warnings.” and he called on the Foreign Office to issue a warning against Sai Baba along the lines of recommendations to travellers to beware the dangers of Aids and violence abroad.

Two women devotees of Sai Baba commit suicide Press report. BANGALORE, APRIL 20. Two members of a family from Chennai, said to be devotees of Sri Satya Sai Baba, reportedly committed suicide in a City hotel as they were unable to get his “darshan.”
The dead were identified as Seethamal (58 )  and her daughter Usharani (35). Usharani’s son, Srikrishna (17), who attempted to commit suicide, is in a serious condition in Victoria Hospital here, according to the police.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police (Chikpet), Mr. G. A. Bava, said the police found a suicide note in Tamil in which the three persons gave the reason for their action.
According to the police, the three came to Bangalore on April 17 for a “darshan” of Sri Satya Sai Baba at Whitefield. On reportedly failing to get a “darshan” they consumed an excess dose of sleeping pills in a bid to end their life.
The incident came to light on Tuesday afternoon when the room boys noticed blood from one of the rooms. They informed the police who broke open the doors to find the decomposed body of Seethamal. Usharani and Srikrishna were alive. The police made arrangements to shift them to Victoria Hospital but Usharani died en route. Police suspect the three to have consumed sleeping pills on Monday.
Police found more than 50 strips of tablets and empty beer bottles in the room and suspect that the pills were consumed after mixing them with beer. Usharani, who was a member of an institution run by Satya Sai Baba’s Ashram, possessed an identity card issued by the institutions. The dead left behind Rs. 2,000 for distribution among the poor.
The address of the victims was given as No.9, Vigneshwaranagar, I Main Road, Vadapalani, Chennai-28. In the suicide note, they said that information of their death was to be given on telephone 4844417, which is said to be that of one Mr. Rajeshwar. Upparpet police have registered a case.

More untoward incidents to be reported later….