Swami Shivanand, founder of Matri Sadan, on Tuesday sought a CBI probe into the death of Swami Nigamanand at the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT) hospital at Jolly Grant in Dehra Dun district on Monday.
Nigamanand's body will be kept at the Matri Sadan for public darshan for three days and then he will be given ‘samadhi' on the ashram campus itself.
The post-mortem report has revealed that Nigamanand's death was caused by coma, septicaemia and degenerative brain disorder, R.K. Pant, Chief Medical Officer, Dehra Dun said. The viscera was being sent to a laboratory in Agra for forensic examination, he said.
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Swami Shivanand, however rejected the report and wanted a second post-mortem by doctors of the AIIMS.
Swami Nigamanand, 36, a founder member of Matri Sadan had been on an indefinite fast since February 19, demanding a ban on quarrying activities in and around the Ganga in the Kumbh area. He went into a coma since May 2.
The district administration admitted him to the Haridwar District Hospital after his condition deteriorated on April 27.
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“It was at the Haridwar district hospital that Swami Nigamanand was given a poisonous injection after which his condition deteriorated further and he was shifted to HIHT,” Shivanand alleged. Only a CBI probe would reveal the nexus between corrupt officials, politicians and the mining mafia.
“The Matri Sadan has given a complaint of alleged poisoning of Swami Nigamanand at the district hospital and the police are investigating,” District Magistrate Meenakshi Sundaram said.
The Uttarakhand government had issued two orders banning all mining activity in the Kumbh region as was sought by the fasting seer. These orders were challenged in the Nainital High Court by a stone crusher owner. “The High Court rejected the petition on May 26 and we immediately ordered closure of all mining activities in the Kumbh region,” Mr. Sundaram said.
Doctors at the HIHT said the swami was brought to them in a state of coma on May 2. He was immediately put on ventilator. However, he became “brain dead” in a few days. Even then the experts tried their best to revive him till he was finally declared dead on June 13, they said.
To the accusation that the swami had been poisoned in the hospital, the doctors said that although the truth would come out in the police investigation and post-mortem report it was a fact that the cholinesterase enzyme level of the swami was found to be very low. This enzyme level could go down either in case of acute starvation due to fasting or by poison. The HIHT doctors said that no indication of poisoning came out in the MRI and other tests.
Senior Congressman and Leader of the Opposition Harak Singh Rawat said the death of the fasting yogi had brought out the ‘double face' of the State government as well as the BJP.
“The entire BJP top brass raised a hue and cry over the Ramdev issue but remained silent on the issue of Swami Nigamanand's fast. Why? Just because Ramdev was their man while Swami Nigamanand and the Matri Sadan were silently crusading for saving the holy Ganga river without political connections.”
Mr. Rawat wondered why BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj rushed to meet Ramdev but never even enquired about Nigamanand.
Ramdev expressed grief over the death and a large number of holy men went to the Matri Sadan to pay homage to the swami.