Indian guru declared dead and kept in freezer for six weeks is 'just meditating', say followers
Ashutosh Maharaj, leader of Divine Light Awakening Mission, who officially died of heart attack on January 29, is still conscious and will come back to life, say followers in Punjab
An Indian guru officially declared dead has been kept in a deep freezer for nearly six weeks by followers who are confident he will come back to life.
Devotees have been watching over the body of Ashutosh Maharaj, who was reported clinically dead on January 29, in his ashram in northern Punjab state.
Maharaj, reportedly in his 70s, is a leader of the Divine Light Awakening Mission and claims to have millions of followers around the world.
Mission spokesman Swami Vishalanand insisted he was not dead, but was in a state of samadhi, the highest level of meditation, and was therefore still conscious.
Vishalanand said followers were now waiting for him to end his meditation. Until then, the ashram in Nurmahal town would stay open with followers performing their own mediations and spiritual sessions.
“Mahara-ji (a Hindi term of respect) is still sending messages through followers in their meditative stage to protect his body until he returns,” he said.
The decision to place him in the freezer was challenged in court by a man claiming to be his former driver. He said the guru’s followers were not releasing the body as they were seeking a share of his properties.