Sai Baba's niece claims threat to life from trust members

PUTTAPARTHI: The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust rocked by the cash seizure scandal over the weekend got embroiled in a new controversy with a close relative of Sai Baba, Chetana Raju, saying that she is a facing life threat from some of the Trust members.

Chetana, who is the chairperson of the Eeswaramma women's welfare trust in Prasanthi Nilayam, alleged that all was not well in the Trust. Chetana did not name the trustees from whom she faced a threat. But she trained her guns on senior Trust member V Srinivasan alleging that he was responsible for not allowing the family members and close relatives during the recent inventory at Yajur Mandir. Chetana has however not yet filed a police complaint.

"None of the family members has been taken into confidence by Srinivasan. Except R J Rathnakar, who is a Trust member, we were not allowed inside the Yajur Mandir," she said. She went on to say that they were completely ignored by the Trust in all matters pertaining to Prasanthi Nilayam. Chetana is daughter of Baba's elder sister.

Sources said several family members and relatives are livid at the way the inventory was carried out inside Yajur Mandir. Pointing their fingers at senior Trust member V Srinivasan, they alleged that he was responsible for barring their entry into Yajur Mandir. Shravan, brother of Chetana, demanded a fair probe into the cash seizure muddle and the alleged shifting of valuables and cash from Yajur Mandir. "Police should conduct a thorough probe in this regard as lakh of Baba's devotees are hurt by the series of allegations involving the Trust," he said.

The police maintained tight vigil at Yajur Mandir. A senior police official told TOI that "we are not allowing any outsider into the Yajur Mandir ever since the cash seizure issue came out."

Meanwhile, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust went on the defensive on Monday after the Anantapur district police asserted that they had evidence to prove that the cash seized from three persons on Saturday belonged to the Trust. The three arrested have been sent to judicial remand.

Pooh-poohing the claims of Trust member R J Rathnakar that the seized cash of Rs 35 lakh belonged to 12 Baba devotees, Penukonda DSP Kolar Krishna asserted that the police had clinching proof to link the money trail to the Trust. "Till now, nobody has approached us to claim the unaccounted money," he told TOI. Rathnakar on Sunday said the devotees would `hand over' the necessary documents to take back the money from the court where it has been deposited after it was seized from a vehicle near Karnataka border on Saturday night.