Bhopal, Oct 15 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh government has ordered an enquiry into an alleged “agni samadhi” (self-immolation) by a Hindu seer who succumbed to burn injuries in Morena district, even as two police officers have been penalised for the incident, official sources said.
The 75-year old seer, Ram Awtar Das self-immolated at Ruariya village, 25 km from Morena district headquarters on Wednesday. Though the villagers and his followers consider it a big sacrifice for human welfare, police term it a suicide.

“The baba had earlier said that he would attain ’samadhi’ some day. On Wednesday, early in the morning, he sat on his cot and within minutes he was in flames,” Kartar Singh Gujjar, who claimed to be an eyewitness, told the police.

“We have ordered an inquiry to probe into the matter. Senior police officials and forensic science experts are looking into it and why the baba took the ’samadhi’ can be concluded only after the investigation is complete,” Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Jagdish Deora told IANS.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on the other hand, told reporters in Bhopal that he would be able to comment only after getting a complete report.

“I cannot comment at this juncture as all the facts are yet to be placed before me. I have sought a report from senior police officers,” he said.

“The death might be accidental, either due to asphyxia or sudden cardiac arrest. The forensic team has sent the viscera for tests and we will soon come to know the truth,” said Morena Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar Singh.

He said Ravi Bhadoria, the station house officer of the Singhonia police station, had been suspended, while R.C. Sharma, a sub-divisional police officer, had been attached to the police headquarters here.

The seer had recently shifted to Ruariya from his native village Mau in the same district. He had started a puja at the Hanuman temple about a fortnight ago.

Meanwhile, a large number of villagers are making a beeline to the ’samadhi’ spot to pay obeisance to the dead seer. Additional police force has been deployed to regulate the crowds.