After more than 200 followers of the late spiritual guru Osho Rajneesh wearing 'sanyas mala' on Wednesday forced their way into the Osho International Meditation Centre (OIMC), Pune police have lodged two cases.
The first offence was registered against the protesters who entered the ashram forcibly for allegedly manhandling its manager, said senior police inspector Vinayak Vetal of Koregaon Park police station. The first FIR was lodged as per the complaint by the OSHO International Foundation (OIF) management against around 120 followers who barged into the Asram premised on Wednesday. "We have registered an FIR under relevant IPC sections including rioting. Five to seven people are named and the remaining are unidentified," he added.
While in the second FIR, the man who was detained after he tried to create rucks and attacked cops, was booked. He was identified as Varun Rawal (27). Koregaon Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the man under section 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code.
"A man who was not a part of the followers' group became violent and tried to manhandle police personnel, forcing the police to use force to evict him," said Smartana Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II). He was detained yesterday.
Tension since Tuesday
Tensions had been brewing between a group of Osho followers and the OSHO International Foundation (OIF) management which manages the Ashram in the Koregaon area since Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the Ashram management had allowed protesting Osho followers wearing the contentious `sanyas mala' to enter the premises to avoid a law and order situation.
Wearing mala not allwed in Ashram
As per the Ashram's rules, the wearing of the mala, which the management claims Rajneesh himself had "dropped" later in his life, is not allowed.
However, the protesting Osho disciples claimed in a press release in the evening that after entering the Ashram, they sat in the Buddha Grove area, sang kirtans (devotional songs) and did not cause any trouble.
But the ashram management "coaxed" police to use force rather than allowing entry to those wearing the Osho Mala "which was given to many of us by Osho Himself during Sannyas Initiation," it alleged.
