Munde assigns case to CID

Munde, who flew here specially to pay homage to the deceased muni, also met members of Jain community at Mahavir Bhavan, saying he would not rest till the culprits were punished. He was accompanied by State Housing Minister Suresh Jain and his deputy Raj Purohit.

Later, Munde told media persons that the muni8217;s murder was probably the handiwork of an inter-state gang which had enlisted the help of the local people.

The Home Minister, already under pressure due to the apparently deteriorating law and order situation in Mumbai and five other recent dacoities in various parts of the State, denied that the situation is spinning out ofcontrol. In fact, he claimed, the number of highway robberies had declined over the last few years.

Meanwhile, two days after the muni8217;s murder, the cracks between various factions of the trustees are spilling out some interesting theories. Though police have categorically refused to go public with details of their investigation, sources point to the internecine rivalry between groups of trustees fuelled by generous diversion of finances from the ashram.

A section of the Jain community here alleges that the vast quantum of funds piling up at the ashram found its way to prominent local businessmen, which became a bone of contention between factions of trustees who realised there was no way the money could be recovered by the trust after Muni Mishilalji8217;s death. Someone was definitely keeping tabs on the massive flow of funds to the trust, especially from South Indian Jains.

The question is: Could this provide a motive for murder?

Suspicion has also been aroused at the manner in which the dacoity wasattempted, the obvious question being: Why would dacoits kill a 65-year-old muni, who could have barely resisted a heist?

The manner of dacoity is also being debated, police officials admit. Roving bands of dacoits usually swoop on eight to 10 houses in one go whereas on Tuesday, the ashram was clearly singled out.

However, the official line on the murder is much more tepid. Commissioner of Police Satish Kulkarni says the frustration of an abortive dacoity may have prompted the dacoits to kill the muni.

Guruganesh, after whom the trust is named, hailed from South India and spent his last days at Jalna. After his death, his chief disciple, Muni Mishilalji from Bangalore took over and worked mainly in Aurangabad. After he died, his samadhi was built at the ashram. His work was continued by Muni Sampat Maharaj, who was a native of Chennai. Thus the ashram had a strong attachment with South India. In fact, since 1965, when the trust was set up, it has been dominated by Jains from the South.

The trustacquired nine acres of land at the foothills of the mountains, near Bibi Ka Maqbara, in 1965. On this scenic patch of land stands the Dakshin Kesari Muni Mishilalji Homoeopathic College run by the Guruganesh Jain Shikshan Samiti GJSS.

For the time being, police are careful not to provoke an outcry from the Jain community, which has yet to emerge from the shock of the murder of a preacher of non-violence. They have therefore not effected any arrests.

They also say they are more intent on tracing the culprits than investigating disputes between various groups of trustees managing the GJSS affairs.

Meanwhile, president of the trust, Tarachand Duggal and Secretary Champaklal Desarda are in Jalna to urge one of the swamis, a woman disciple of Mishilalji, to come to Aurangabad and take part in deliberations in the wake of the murder.

Since Muni Sampat Maharaj had no immediate disciples, the big question is whether local Jains will seize control of the trust or whether those from South India will furtherconsolidate their dominance?

A meeting of trustees scheduled for Wednesday evening has been postponed in view of the visit by Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde to the ashram.