Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A grinder found inside the room, injuries to his private part and a CCTV trail ending with a fatal jump from the fourth-floor terrace have deepened the mystery surrounding the death of Sant Premanand Maharaj’s disciple in Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan.
While police are treating the death of Deepak Lodhi, aka Rashik Dulari Sharan, as suicide, they are digging deeper into what happened before the fall, including whether deleted chats, videos or other data from his mobile phone could shed light on the circumstances.
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Deepak Lodhi, whose name became Rashik Dulari Sharan after he took initiation from Sant Premanand Maharaj around two years ago, died after jumping from the fourth floor of the Guru Kripa Kunj ashram in Vrindavan on Friday morning.
WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE FATAL JUMP
The incident took place at around 10.30 am on Friday. According to the CCTV footage examined by police, Rashik Sharan came out of his room at around 10.25 am.
His clothes were seen stained with blood. He remained outside the room for some time before moving from the third floor to the fourth-floor terrace.
He was then seen sitting on the terrace and later lying on the ground for around 10 seconds. He suddenly got up and, at around 10.36 am, jumped from the terrace.
He suffered serious injuries to his head and body and was taken to a nearby private hospital, where he was declared dead.
A video showing him falling from the terrace was circulated on social media on Sunday.
The CCTV footage has led police to conclude that Sharan died by suicide. However, police are now focusing on the events immediately preceding the jump.
GRINDER FOUND IN ROOM
Another key aspect of the investigation is the discovery of a grinder in the room where Sharan was staying.
Police have said that facts relating to an injury to his private part have emerged during the investigation. However, why he sustained the injury before jumping from the building remains unclear.
Vrindavan Circle Officer Sandeep Kumar Singh said the reason behind this could be established only after the investigation.
Police have seized the CCTV cameras and the disciple’s blood sample has also been sent for forensic examination, officials added.
DELETED CHATS, VIDEOS UNDER SCANNER
The investigation has also moved to the digital trail left behind by Sharan.
His mobile phone has been sent to a forensic laboratory for data recovery. Police are examining whether he deleted photographs, videos, chats or other material before his death and whether the deleted data can be recovered.
Investigators are hoping that the forensic examination of the phone could provide clues about the circumstances leading to his death.
Police have separately questioned people living in the ashram as well as those who were with or around the Sharan. So far, investigators have not found a clear reason for the suicide.
The post-mortem report attributed the death to excessive bleeding, the police officer said.
SAINTS DEMAND HIGH-LEVEL PROBE
The case has also triggered demands for a high-level investigation from saints in Vrindavan.
A meeting of saints was held in Vrindavan, in which the saints unanimously demanded an investigation into the death and called for the circumstances surrounding the incident to be brought to light.
A saint, Mahant Mohini Sharan Maharaj, said the saint community condemned the incident and questioned why Keli Kunj, the Ashram where he was staying, had not issued any statement following the death and said the administration had also not conducted a high-level investigation.
He demanded that the district administration order a high-level probe into the matter.
Mohini Sharan also called for an enquiry into people moving around in the area dressed as saints, alleging that a large number of anti-social elements could be present in such attire. He said an investigation into them could reveal more details.
Another saint, Mahant Gangadas Ji Maharaj, called it “very wrong” incident and also alleged that similar incidents had occurred there from time to time.
He further alleged that some disciples at Keli Kunj were involved in land grabbing and “mafia activities” and said such activities were causing damage to Sanatan culture.
For now, investigators are relying on CCTV footage to establish the sequence of events, while forensic examination of the mobile phone, blood sample and other evidence is underway. The reason behind the reported injury to his private part and whether deleted digital material can shed light on his final hours remain key questions in the investigation.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
