Maharashtra: Several disciples of Osho Rajneesh wearing 'malas' forcefully enter his Pune ashram

Several disciples of late spiritual guru Osho Rajneesh wearing 'sanyas malas' on Wednesday forced their way into his Pune ashram in Maharashtra in protest against the purported plans by the management to sell the Ashram land. Tension has been brewing between a group of disciples and the OSHO International Foundation (OIF) management which manages the affairs of the Ashram since Tuesday.
Police said on Wednesday afternoon, more than 250 followers forced their way into the Osho International Meditation Centre (OIMC), situated in Koregaon Park area.

Outside the Ashram, police detain a man after he became "violent" and tried to attack police personnel.

The man was not a part of the group of protesters but he became aggressive after the followers forcefully entered the Ashram premises, a police officer said.

A day earlier, the Ashram management had allowed those followers wearing the 'sanyas mala' to enter the premises in view of the law and order situation.

"After our intervention on Tuesday, the followers were allowed to enter the Ashram campus with 'malas' but today these followers forcefully entered inside. A man, who is not a part of the followers' group, became unruly and violent and tried to manhandle police personnel forcing the police to use force to evict him from the spot," said Smartana Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II).

Swami Chaitanya Keerti, one of the protesters, claimed the Ashram management had on Tuesday allowed the followers wearing 'malas' to enter the premises but restricted them on Wednesday.

"During the commotion, a man who is said to be an Indian-origin US citizen who had not received 'diksha' (initiation) might have said something out of aggression and was whisked away by police," he said, adding that the followers do not know the man.

Maa Amrit Sadhana, the spokesperson and one of the trustees of OIF, on Tuesday, said the entry was allowed in view of maintaining the law and order.

"To respect the law and order and to support the police, the management allowed them on the premises with 'malas' only for today (Tuesday) but from tomorrow (Wednesday), the usual rules will apply," she had said.

The OIF management also claimed that Rajneesh had dropped the mala "long before leaving the body".