Nithyananda preached yoga; used treadmill, dumbbells secretly

On the third day of the search operations at Swami Nithyananda’s ashram, the team found modern exercise equipment such as a treadmill and dumbbells in the private rooms of the swami, who preaches about the power of yoga to the world.

Nithyananda, who was taken into police custody on Wednesday, was granted bail on Thursday. However, he could not taste freedom as he was remanded to judicial custody for a day in another case.

The district administration and the police’s joint team are conducting the search. In his rooms, the team came across items such as an LCD TV and air-conditioner too, along with a double bed. Also, the officials came across private lockers with jewellery and property documents in them. These were seized for investigation.

The search team also came across a large number of empty jewellery cases and empty lockers in the room. The officials also found a private dispensary in one of the rooms of Nithyananda. An officer who is part of the search team said boxes of allopathic medicines were found and the samples had been sent for investigation.

Meanwhile, several pro-Kannada organisations staged demonstrations against Nithyananda, saying that they would intensify their protest until the tainted swami was ordered to leave the state.