Puttaparthi tense over Sai Baba's worsening health

Even as thousands of disciples of Sathya Sai Baba continue to be tense over the spiritual leader's worsening health condition, a senior minister in Andhra Pradesh government has created a stir by revealing that doctors were making a last ditch effort to save him.

State Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy told media persons in Hyderabad on Thursday that Sai Baba's vital organs were not functioning properly and that his condition was very critical.

Earlier, Raghuveera Reddy attended a high level meeting with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to review the situation arising out of the worsening condition of Baba. The meeting was also attended by the Chief Secretary S V Prasad, director general of police K Aravinda Rao and the intelligence chief Mahinder Reddy.

Aravinda Rao told media persons that already thousand additional police personnel were deployed in Puttaparthy and if needed, more forces will be sent.  

86 year old Sai Baba was undergoing treatment at Satya Sai super specialty hospital in Puttaparthy town of Anantapur,  about 450 kms south of Hyderabad since March 28.

...

Emerging from the meeting, the DGP told reporters that they were closely monitoring the situation in Puttaparthi. "We should not create confusion unnecessarily by mobilising additional forces. We have sent 1,000 police personnel for security in Puttaparthi and shall send more forces when required," Aravinda Rao said.

State Major Industries Minister J Geeta Reddy, Anantapur district Collector B Janardhana Reddy and Deputy Inspector General of Police Charu Sinha, who are camping at the hospital, reviewed the Baba's health condition this morning with SSIHMS director. They also reviewed the law and order situation and the measures being implemented for crowd control in any eventuality.

Shops in the vicinity of SSIHMS have been shut down as a precautionary measure, a senior police officer said. Anantapur district Superintendent of Police Shahnawaz Qasim is personally monitoring the security arrangements.

Meanwhile, members of the Sathya Sai Central Trust held a meeting to discuss the trust's affairs in the wake of Sai Baba's deteriorating health. Principal Secretary (finance) L V Subrahmanyam also took part in the meeting, sources said.

Meanwhile, devotees of Sathya Sai Baba on Wednesday appealed to the people not to believe in rumours on the godman's health and asked the media to 'respect' their sentiments.

In a joint press conference organised by Sri Sathya Sai Baba Devotees forum in Hyderabad on Thursday, prominent devotees urged people not to believe in rumours on Sai Baba's health and reports in a section of press on Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust.

"In the present situation, we can only pray for long life of Bhagwan Sai Baba," they said and urged the media to "respect of sentiments of devotees".

The devotees claimed that Sathya Sai Baba, whose health condition is very critical, will recover from the present illness and live till 96 years.

Some of the devotees include eminent personalities like former Justice of Karnataka high court J Eswar Prasad,

Andhra Pradesh ex-DGP R Prabhakar Rao and cardiac surgeon Dr Anil Kumar Mulpur.

"Sai Baba is an incarnation of God. He will definitely recover and live for 97 years as he himself had once predicted," former state DGP R Prabhakar Rao said.

Another devotee M V Rao, an eminent agricultural scientist and former vice-chancellor of Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, said he too believed that Sathya Sai Baba come out of the present illness and live for 96 years.

"Though as a scientist I see everything scientifically, the power of Baba and his extraordinary social work impressed me," he said.

Other eminent personalities present at the press conference were former Hyderabad city police commissioner A V Appa Rao.

With inputs from PTI