BARWALA, Nov 19 (AFP): Police discovered five bodies Wednesday after storming the ashram of a wanted guru in northern India where thousands of followers have been holed up for days, as a sixth supporter died in hospital.
The authorities made the discovery a day after they forced their way into the heavily guarded ashram northeast of New Delhi where they believe self-styled "godman" Rampal Maharaj, who is wanted on murder charges, is still hiding.
They found the bodies of four women and one 18-month-old child, director general of police SN Vashisht said. The child appeared to have died of natural causes but it was unclear how or when the four women lost their lives, he said.
Another woman apparently suffering from a heart condition died after being taken to hospital, Vashisht told reporters.
"All dead bodies have been sent to the hospital where they will undergo a post-mortem to ascertain the exact cause of their deaths," he said.
Riot police on Tuesday stormed the ashram, which has been guarded by hundreds of followers for days after a court ordered the arrest of their guru on charges including conspiracy to murder.
Police used water cannon and tear gas on the followers, who were armed with stones, petrol bombs and other weapons, officers and television footage showed.
Thousands of followers poured out of the ashram overnight Tuesday, but police said they believed another 5,000 were still inside the inner sections of the compound sprawled over 4.8 hectares (12 acres).
Some who fled claimed they had been held inside against their will, while police claimed they had been used as human shields to protect the guru.
Police said they were checking those leaving the ashram in case Rampal, who considers himself an incarnation of the 15th-century mystic poet Kabir, was hiding in the crowd.
