Why were Osho's disciples banned from entering his Pune ashram?

Several disciples of late spiritual guru Osho Rajneesh wearing 'sanyas malas' on Wednesday forced their way into his ashram here in Pune in protest against the management's purported plans to sell the Ashram land.

Since Tuesday, tensions have been building between a group of disciples and the OSHO International Foundation (OIF) management, which oversees the Ashram's operations.

According to police, about 250 followers pushed their way into the Osho International Meditation Centre (OIMC) in the Koregaon Park neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon.

Police apprehended a man outside the Ashram after he became "violent" and attempted to harm officers.

What was the altercation about?

One of the protesters, claimed the Ashram management had on Tuesday allowed the followers wearing 'malas' to enter the premises but restricted them on Wednesday.

On March 21, which is celebrated by Osho’s followers as his “enlightenment day”, the protesters sought police protection to enter the ashram.

The group said the resort should allow their entry by ‘wearing mala’ and without paying Rs 970 entry fee.

Maa Amrit Sadhana, the spokesperson and one of the trustees of OIF, on Tuesday, said the entry was allowed in view of maintaining the law and order.

"To respect the law and order and to support the police, the management allowed them on the premises with 'malas' only for today (Tuesday) but from tomorrow (Wednesday), the usual rules will apply," she had said.

(With PTI inputs)