Officials inspect ashram run by Daati Madan Maharaj

Amid rumours that about 600 female boarders of an ashram run by self-styled godman Daati Madan Maharaj has been missing, a team of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE) and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) today inspected the facility in Aalawas village in Rajasthan's Pali.

The team members spent about six hours in the ashram and checked records related to boarders of the Aashvasan Bal Gram Sansthan.

We found that total 709 girls are enrolled with the institution. But currently 236 were present," said a DoSJE official, adding that 54 more boarders reached there by evening as classes resume tomorrow after summer vacation.

Rumours have been doing the rounds for the past 2-3 days that there were about 800 girls enrolled with the institution, of whom about 600 have gone missing.

We did not find them missing as many of them have left for home during summer vacation," the official said.

Recently, a Delhi Police team visited the ashram after a woman disciple accused the self-styled godman of rape.