CID probe ordered into Trahi Achyut Ashram issue

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today ordered Crime Branch of Odisha Police to conduct a probe into the allegations levelled against Trahi Achyut Ashram chief Surendra Mishra alias Sura Baba.
"The Chief Minister has ordered a Crime Branch enquiry into the matters related to Trahi Achyut Ashram," a statement received from the chief minister's office said.
Patnaik ordered the probe after allegations of Sura Baba's sexual escapade came to the fore.
While one woman yesterday lodged an FIR alleging that the 'godman' used to sexually exploit women, another woman today corroborated the allegation and told a local news channel that the Ashram chief used to abuse girls.

Besides cases of land grabbing and economic offences, the Crime Branch will probe an old case of human sacrifice allegedly by Sura Baba, Crime Branch ADG B K Sharma said.
Sharma said they will also investigate the allegations of sexual exploitation.

Besides, an allegation of murder is also levelled against the Trahi Achyut Ashram chief and his son, who were arrested and sent to jail here yesterday.
One Pratap Mishra of Phulbani in Kandhamal was allegedly killed in 2003. "They (Sura Baba and his son) have killed my brother. Our FIR at the Saheed Nagar Police Station then was ignored," slain Pratap's elder brother Pramod Mishra told reporters here.

So far, the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate has registered five cases in this connection and the police conducted search in ashram during the day.
Sura Baba and his two sons were detained by police in the wee hours on Monday on the basis of an FIR lodged by the activist Jayanta Kumar Bhoi late last night. They were formally arrested at 10.30 AM.
Meanwhile, situation at the Jhinti Trahi Achyut ashram is limping back to normalcy with no untoward incident reported in last the 12 hours. The police, with the help of the locals have formed a committee to restore peace in the area.

However, 13 platoons of police force have been deployed at Jhinti Ashram to avoid further tension.
The Crime Branch of Police was now probing into the cases related to 'godman' Santosh Kumar Roul alias Sarathi Baba in Kendrapara district.