Bodies of four women found in Indian guru's ashram

The bodies of four women were found on Wednesday inside the heavily-fortified complex where self-styled guru Sant Rampal is believed to be hiding out, police said. Thousands of his devotees have been guarding the site in the northern Haryana state, about 170 km (105 miles) northwest of the capital New Delhi, since a judge ordered the 63-year-old's arrest last week.

Shriniwas Vashisht, director-general of police in Haryana, told news agency Associated Press that the bodies of the four women were handed over to authorities from inside. A baby boy and a fifth woman, who was apparently suffering from a heart condition, died after being taken to hospital, he said. All bodies were to undergo a post-mortem.

Rampal, an engineer-turned-guru, is wanted in connection to a 2006 murder case. Efforts to detain him culminated on Tuesday when riot police, attempting to force their way inside the compound, were met with fierce resistance from his supporters. Nearly 200 people were injured in the ensuing clashes.

"The godman was using his devotees as a human shield," Vashisht told reporters. "They know that we will not allow innocent women and children to be caught in the crossfire and they are taking advantage of that."

Wanted guru

While thousands of people left the ashram after Tuesday's violence, police said there were still as many as 6,000 supporters inside.

"The people who left the ashram mostly said that they were being held against their will," assistant police superintendent Jashandeep Singh told AFP news agency.

There were conflicting media reports about whether security forces had succeeded in entering the 12-acre (0.049-square-kilometer) compound later on Wednesday.

Authorities accuse Rampal of ordering his disciples to fire on villagers during violent clashes in July 2006, in which one person was killed and several more injured. Since 2010, he has ignored more than 40 requests to appear in court to answer charges including conspiracy to murder, inciting mobs and contempt of court.

Rampal also failed to appear in court for a final deadline on Monday. His supporters claim their leader is too ill to travel the 250 kilometers (155 miles) from his ashram to the court in the state capital, Chandigarh.

Though many of India's gurus have proved politically or spiritually questionable, they have also attracted large followings. For many Indians, gurus offer a pathway to enlightenment and play an integral role in daily life.

nm/ksb (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)