Bhaiyyuji was offered cabinet post by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in April.
Spiritual leader Bhaiyyuji Maharaj on Tuesday committed suicide by shooting himself at his residence in Indore. He was admitted to the Bombay hospital where he succumbed. He was one of the spiritual leaders who was accorded minister of state status by the Madhya Pradesh government but had refused to accept car and other facilities.
Inspector General of Police Makrand Deoskar said prima facie it was a case of suicide. He said a pistol and a suicide note were found near the body. Those present at home heard a gunshot and rushed towards his room to find it closed. The door was broken open.
“Somebody should be there to handle duties of family. I am leaving to(o) much stressed out, fed up,” he wrote in the purported suicide note. Deuskar refused to confirm details of the suicide note saying it was part of investigation.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed his condolence on the demise of Bhaiyyuji Maharaj. “My tribute to saint Bhayyuji Maharaj (who allegedly committed suicide). The country has lost a person who was a confluence of culture, knowledge & selfless service,” said Chouhan.
There was speculations that the former model was under depression. His supporters gathered outside the hospital in large numbers.
The Congress, however, blamed the ruling government for his suicide and has demanded CBI probe into the matter. “Madhya Pradesh government had put pressure on him to accept privileges & support the government, which he refused to do. He was under a lot of mental pressure. CBI probe should be done,” said Congress leader Manak Agarwal.
A zamindar’s son and a former model, Bhaiyyu Maharaj, whose real name is Udaysingh Deshmukh, was known for his opulent lifestyle. Always elegantly dressed, he operated from a sprawling ashram at Indore, traveled in a white Mercedes SUV with a small band of followers and stayed in lavish resorts during his trips. He had a wide following among politicians and businessmen, who flocked to him for ‘advice’ on spiritual matters.
According to his website, Yuva Rastra Saint Shri Sadguru Bhaiyyuji Maharaj is mentioned as a spiritual leader, social reformer and motivator, whose sole aim is to bring happiness on the faces of countless poor and downtrodden people, lift them from morass of despair, poverty, social inequality and enable them to live a life of dignity. The high-profile ‘saint’ had married an Indore-based medical practitioner, upsetting many of his disciples. Maharaj played an important mediator role in persuading Anna Hazare to call off his fast for Lokpal in 2011.