Thaindian News

Puttaparthi (Andhra Pradesh), April 4 (IANS) Spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba’s condition has turned critical, causing anxiety among millions of his devotees in India and abroad.

Hundreds of his followers rushed to Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences here Monday night after doctors confirmed that his condition is critical.

However, in an attempt to control the anxious crowd of devotees, Sai Baba’s nephew Shravan said he has opened his eyes. A police officer also made an announcement over public address system outside the hospital that Baba’s condition is stable.

“Sathya Sai Baba continues to be on ventilator support for helping his respiration and suction of the secretions from the lungs. He continues to be on CRRT (continuous renal replacement therapy) system to help the functioning of the kidneys,” said a statement issued by the hospital.

The 85-year-old was admitted to hospital March 28 with pneumonia and breathing problems. The doctors also implanted pacemaker to regulate his heartbeat.

“His vital systems are not adequately responding. The panel of doctors treating him are doing their best to make the system to respond,” said the statement by A.N. Saya, director of the superspeciality hospital.

For the first time the hospital authorities allowed Ratnakar, another nephew of Sai Baba and a member of Sathya Sai Central Trust into Sai’s room in the intensive care unit.

Senior officials of the trust and a large number of policemen rushed to the hospital, triggering apprehensions among the devotees. The restive crowd also stoned few police vehicles, demanding information about Sai’s health.

The trust officials appealed to his devotees to pray for the speedy recovery of Sai Baba.

The hospital health bulletin came hours after two Andhra Pradesh ministers told reporters that the guru was stable and all his vital parameters were functioning well.

The state government has also sent a team of doctors from Hyderabad to monitor his condition.

In Hyderabad, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy held a high-level meeting with officials Monday night to review the situation. Minister for revenue Raghuveera Reddy and minister for major industries J. Geeta Reddy, who are camping in Puttaparthi for last days, briefed the chief minister about Sai?s condition.

Sathya Sai Baba, whose real name is Sathyanarayana Raju, had claimed in 1940 that he was an ‘avatar’ (incarnation) of god.

He became famous with his miracles but for the last two decades he had been focusing on social and charitable work.