Chandigarh/ Jalandhar (April 23, 2014): Noormehal besad controversial “Divya Jyoti Jagran Sansthan (DJJS)” or the Noormehal Dera head and self-styled godman Ashutosh reportedly died on January 29, 2014. But he dera management is dramatically denying his death while admitting that he was clenically dead. Dera says that Ashutosh was in Samadhi, in a mortuary refrigerator and could revive again.
Ashutosh Noormehal [File Photo]
It is learnt that [o]n a petition filed by Ashutosh’s son, seeking his father’s mortal remains and probe to ascertain the real cause of his death, the Punjab and Haryana high court on 22 April issued notices of motion to the Punjab government and the Noormehal dera. The next hearing will take place on May 3.
On January 29, the doctors had declared Ashutosh clinically dead following which the dera management had kept the body inside a deep freezer. Dalip Kumar Jha, a resident of Madhubani district in Bihar, who claims to be son of Ashutosh told the court that he suspected that his father was poisoned to death in a bid to grab the dera assets.
He said even as he had earlier approached the Punjab government and dera members through the Bihar government in this connection, not action was taken. Earlier, Ashutosh’s former driver Puran Singh had also approached the high court demanding fair probe into the case besides seeking post-mortem of the dera head’s body. However, the Punjab police had informed the high court on April 4 that there was ‘no evidence’ to show that Ashutosh’s death was unnatural.
The police had recommended that it would not be appropriate to conduct post-mortem on the body, as it would damage it.