Tension prevailed at Osho Commune on Wednesday as over 300 disciples of late spiritual guru Osho Rajneesh wearing sanyas malas forced their way into his ashram in Pune in protest against the purported plans by the management to sell the Ashram land.

On Wednesday afternoon, the followers belonging to the rival Maroon Army faction barged into the Osho International Meditation Centre (OIMC) located in Koregaon Park. Police officials were stationed outside the centre.

Assistant commissioner of police (Cantonment Division) RN Raje said that tension prevailed between the two groups of Oshos followers. The OSHO International Foundation (OIF) management which manages the affairs of the commune had given permission to the opposite camp to enter the premises for one day. However, the group wanted to get inside the Ashram on Wednesday which was not allowed by the management. This led to some of the disciples getting angry and resort to rioting.

One of the protestors became violent and tried to physically assault the police. He has been taken into custody and an FIR is being lodged, said Raje. The rival camp, however. has denied that man belonged to their group.

Smartana Patil, deputy commissioner of police (Zone II) said, A disciple, who is not a part of the group, became unruly, violent and tried to rough up police personnel on duty. We had to use force to evict him from the spot and bundled him into a police van.

The OIF and the rebel faction of Osho devotees have been at loggerheads over the sale of property and other assets of the late guru in India. The office of the charity commissioner of Mumbai, through newspaper advertisements published on October 10 last year, had invited fresh offers for the sale of two plots of the OIF.

Swami Chaitanya Keerti, one of the protesters said, The commune management had on Tuesday allowed the followers wearing malas to enter the premises but restricted them on Wednesday. As the disciples were entering the commune, there was a commotion wherein a man who is said to be an Indian origin US citizen allegedly uttered something out of aggression and was taken away by police. We do not know the man. However, we have our rights to the commune as ordained by our spiritual guru which cannot be denied by the commune management.

A police complaint was filed against the commune at the Koregaon Park police station stating that we must not be stopped from entering the commune wearing the mala which is our constitutional right, he said.

The police filed two FIRs with first against a protester for creating ruckus and stopping police from carrying out their duties under section 353 of IPC, and second FIR against around 120 protestors for rioting.

After gaining entry into the ashram, the man assaulted our police personnel when they tried to pacify him. We have registered an offence against him under Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and other relevant sections of IPC, said Vinayak Vetal, the senior police inspector, at Koregaon Park police station.

He added that one more offence has been registered against 120 Osho followers who had forcefully entered the ashram premise for allegedly manhandling the manager at the ashram. We have booked 100 to 120 people on relevant IPC charges, including rioting in which five to seven are named in the complaint and remaining are unidentified, he said.

Maa Amrit Sadhana, the spokesperson and one of the trustees of OIF, on Tuesday said, We allowed the entry in view of maintaining law and order as advised by the police. The management allowed them inside the commune with malas only for Tuesday but from Wednesday , the usual rules apply.

She further said that also Osho had done away with the practice of wearing mala as it was against his vision.

Go here to see the original:

Several disciples of Osho Rajneesh wearing malas forcefully enter his Pune ashram, one held for violence - Hindustan Times