Good night’s sleep eludes Nithyananda

Paramahamsa Nithyananda had trouble sleeping at the Ramanagara sub-jail on Friday night and woke up late on Saturday morning. Perhaps, it’s because he’s sleeping in a prison cell for the first time. 

“He’s been given facilities similar to other prisoners. This includes a fan in his cell. There’s no special treatment. The exception being that he wanted food from his Bidadi ashram. He’s happy in the company of his disciple Bhaktananda alias Gopal Seelam Reddy,” said a senior official in the prisons department.

At 11.30am on Saturday, Nithyananda ate curd rice and ‘Anna Sambar’ (without spices and low salt content). He preferred dry fruits and milk from his ashram. He was allowed to eat food brought from the ashram after the prison doctor approved it.

“He never left his bed, except for taking a bath. He was meditating, practising yoga and reading books,” said an official. “We enquired about his welfare and he said he was happy and relieved; he spoke in Kannada,” said another official.

Meanwhile, Nithyananda’s lawyers paid him a visit on Saturday afternoon to get his signature for petitions that will be filed in court.
Security tightened

The police have tightened security around Ramanagara sub-jail to deal with any protests against Nithyananda or his ashram, Nithyananda Dhyanapeetham. A platoon of district armed reserve (DAR) police will be stationed around the jail in order to keep troublemakers at bay.