Sarathi posed as Krishna; had many women followers

Odisha Channel Bureau Kendrapara, Aug 9: With controversial godman Sarathi Baba falling from grace, gossip mongers have gone overdrive portraying alleged amorous escapades and multihued private lifestyle of the 48-year-old man who posed himself as reincarnation of Lord Krishna.Though the alleged romantic exploits of the Baba are yet to be fully substantiated, things have taken a turn towards the worse with reports of family ties and bonhomie breaking up.It is widely regarded that sizeable chunk of ardent followers of the godman were young women and girls.The self-styled godman was accused him of spending two days with a woman in a Hyderabad hotel.It was also alleged that the woman accompanying him to Hyderabad was shown as his wife in the hotel record.After a private TV channel beamed the visual of the alleged escapade, it has triggered turmoil and disturbances in devotees’ families.The ardent women followers for whom Sarathi was nothing short of Lord Krishna are visibly shattered with the sowing of distrust in families. Yesterday’s arrest of controversial self-proclaimed godman by crime branch wing of Odisha police has opened a can of worms insinuating at the alleged nexus of the fake religious guru with the civil and police administration of Kendrapara district.Investigators have stumbled upon the bonhomie that officials had maintained with the 47-year-old arrested man.The accused godman claimed that trust founded by him was doing charity work.He recently donated Rs.20,000 for annual Rath Yatra of Lord Baldevjew in Kendrapara.Contribution was made paying honour to the request of a senior official of district administration, said crime branch sources.The godman during crime branch questioning has spilled beans by stating that he had maintained excellent rapport with local police.False cases were registered against his opponents and critics with local police extending helping hand, told a crime branch official.Ex-MLA and BJD spokesman Pratap Deb had sanctioned Rs.15 lakh MLA LAD funds towards the development of Sarathi ashram at Bratapur under Aul in Kendrapara district during his stint as MLA.Such act of generosity of BJD leader towards private institution named after the fake godman has brought to the fore the alleged ruling party nexus with the fake spiritual guru.Members of a house committee of Odisha Assembly, comprising mostly BJD MLAs, had earlier visited Sarathi ashram at Barimula and was sighted sitting at the feet of the tainted Baba.With the Baba arrested by the crime branch deathly silence has now descended at the sprawling ashram that has come up at 2.7 acre stretch land. Two residential plots at Bhubaneswar and Kendrapara were detected so far while the Sarathi Baba alias Santosh Raul had purchased landed property in Barimula village in the vicinity of the ashram founded by him.Portions of the ashram land happen to be encroached government land, said investigating officials.