Police resort to caning as Sathya Sai's devotees turn restive

Police and the local administration of Puttaparthi had a taste of the tough time they will have over the next two days. A deluge of devotees poured into the town to have a last glimpse of Sathya Sai Baba, whose mortal remains have been kept at Yajurveda Hall, in Prashanti Nilayam.

The devotees turned restive as the authorities failed to keep their promise of allowing them to have Baba’s darshan from 6 pm, after the body was shifted from Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences.

The situation turned uncontrollable as the gathering swelled to over 50,000 by 6.30 pm and there was no sign of the devotees being allowed in.

The rush led to a stampede. The milling crowd of devotees broke the barricades erected to ensure an orderly queue of the devotees. A woman fainted due to exhaustion. Police were forced to resort to lathicharge in which several devotees were injured. Many, who had arrived from abroad, abandoned the queue, giving up their plans of having Baba’s darshan.

The entire Puttaparthi town is in mourning with all business establishments shut. Even hotels have downed the shutters. No vehicles are being allowed to enter the town as the number of devotees is expected to touch one lakh on Monday as they are arriving from not only Karnataka and Andhra, but also from Maharashtra, Mumbai, Delhi and abroad.