The number of foreign devotees who have died in Prashanthi Nilayam and Brindavan through the years are many. There have been numerous murders of visitors both inside and outside the ashrams, also mortal accidents, and dozens have taken their own lives there or after visiting the ashrams. Some were literally executed within the ashram itself) It is difficult to document facts about deaths that are known to ashramites or even from personal observation - or from well-informed insiders - because the ashrams exercise the tightest secrecy and cover-ups about all untoward incidents (both the ashram staff and all Sathya Sai Baba's foreign officials in the Sathya Sai Organization). There has certainly been a much larger number of deaths than is generally known. No records are kept or made available in any way, let alone to the public, not even about those who commit suicide (a considerable number), or die of natural causes or of one or another of the many serious illnesses that can be contracted there (including polio, cholera, chronic amoebic dysentery and even malaria). Added to this, of course, are the usual hazards of many serious vehicle accidents - which have affected numerous devotees, including even major donors to Sai Baba such as Mrs. Barbara Sinclair (who died in a taxi accident on the way there in , having been called by Sai Baba to visit just then). There have been deaths from other ashram accidents too. [Three US devotes were killed in an avoidable accident when the concrete dome of the 'Eternal Heritage Spiritual Museum' at Prashanthi Nilayam collapsed and crashed through three floors, crushing two ladies to death and 26-year old Michael Oliver, who lived 11 hours in great pain with nine fractures and internal injuries. The matter was hushed up immediately. The parents of a daughter killed have received no proper explanation, not even an offer of compensation. Read the Indian newspaper report in The Hindu here]

There are various serious hazards that are never explained to visitors. None are told that there are numerous armed plainclothes guards mingling with ordinary visitors, in addition to the highly visible armed guards and security persons who are there to protect Sai Baba (by Indian Government order), who were installed not long after six young men were murdered in Sai Baba's bedroom apartment in June 1993.


The Dangers of Large Crowds

When complaining of the massive disturbance that a previous state visit had caused to celebrations at Prashanthi Nilayam because of the rigid governmental security arrangements, Narasimhan was told by Sathya Sai Baba that unfortunately nothing could be done to avert the visit of the then Indian President, Dayal Sharma, to the 70th birthday. (Apropos, is it not strange that Sai Baba, who claims to be omnipotent and to be the only being having any free will, should suddenly be so powerless!) That presidential visit in 1996 cost the State 6 million rupees for the deployment of 3000 armed Black Berets as security guards, whose foolishly antiquated crowd control methods nearly caused people to be trampled to death at the gates of the Hillview Stadium. Some were trampled, but recovered, including some American ladies for whom the experience and injuries sustained were very traumatic. My wife and her friends were also affected most severely, almost unable to breath and incapable of moving an inch in the enormous pushing crowd before the stadium gates, which the Black Berets kept closed long after the time announced for their opening, all because the President's car had not yet appeared. This is not untypical of the high-handed and counter-productive kinds of 'crowd control' in India, where deaths by crushing at large religious and other gatherings are fairly regular occurrences. So far I do not know of anyone who died as a result of the enormous  and regular crowds through 5 decades at Sai's ashrams and other mass meetings he has attended. If it has occurred, I am at least certain that the ashram administration would immediately have done as they always do when anyone dies in their precincts. They make every effort, including payments to those involved, so as to hush it up... even send all foreigners away from the ashram within the day (so as to stop the news spreading too far).

The former long-term President of the Sathya Sai Organisation in UK, Mr. Lucas Ralli, author of at least five books purporting to be 'received' from Sathya Sai Baba (Sai Messages  for You and Me in 5 vols), was nearly suffocated in a crowd at a birthday celebration a year or two previous to the 70th birthday, when the Black Berets were also present and, through the imperious stupidity so widespread in many of India's authorities, nearly caused a major catastrophe. He determined that he would never again visit the ashram (where he had his own apartment)  and - besides being "thrown out" (his own words) of the Sathya Sai Organization by Indulal Shah for suggesting radical changes - at he never returned there again (he has died since). 

Among the many covered-up incidents at Sai Baba ashrams, one can read of a number of others here (not by any means an exhaustive account!)

Among other hazards are the security forces who are not very smart and are often unpredictable in their work of testing for metal and weapons on all who enter the ashram compound and the undercover security agents who also overhear and report conversations which they report to the administration (and some titbits very likely get through to Sai Baba himself for various uses)

29-10-1990
(The accident happened in the ashram on Friday the 26th October 1990)
Two women die as dome collapses

From Our Correspondent

ANANTAPUR, Oct.28

Two Americans Mrs. John Brown Hebel (45) and Mrs. Air Bonnie Lynni Mainaric (43), belonging to San Francisco U.S. were killed on Friday when the dome (kalasam) over the central gopuram of sananthana samskriti (eternal heritage) museum building under construction at Prasanthi Nilayam, about 90 km from here, collapsed.

Their bodies were extricated from the debris. Mr. Michael Oliver (25), escaped with multiple fractures. He was rushed to the Sri Satyasai Hospital Complex at Prasanthi Nilayam. He was reported to have suffered heamorrhage and was sent to Bangalore for further treatment with a doctor and two escorts.

Mr. P. Ramamohan Rao, Chairman, Prasanthi Nilayam Township Committee said the museum buildings, being constructed on the top of hillock near the administrative buildings of Sri Satyasai Institute of Higher Learning ( a deemed university), was designed by Bombay architects Godboe and Co and the designer was Mr. Pande, who had designed many high-rise buildings in Bombay and other metropolitan cities. The RCC framework of the gopuram was done by engineering contractors, Learsen and Toubro Ltd. under the personal supervision of Ramachandran, a stapathi of Tamil Nadu.

According to the engineers and the chairman of the Prasanthi Nilayam Township Committee while the construction of the dome on the central tower was going on a little tremor was felt. As the top slab could not take the weight of the materials used for the kalasam, the engineer asked the 60 and odd workers to come down and go out of the buildings. Added to this there were heavy rain, with thunder and lightning.

Two men and three women the professional architects and designers from the U.S. who had come to Prasanthi Nilayam as devotees offered to work on the sthupa erected in the middle of the shallow well on the ground floor. While they were busy giving finishing touches to the sthupa two of them ran to safety on hearing a loud cracking noise. Soon the kalasam collapsed breaking the reinforced concrete roof of the two floors, when two women and one youth were caught under the debris. Sri Satyasai Sevadal volunteers and other devotees rushed to the spot and made efforts to extricate the foreigners and cleared the debris.

Sri Satyasai Baba, during his darshan time on Friday, cautioned the devotees to be careful.
An American Embassy official rushed to Prasanthi Nilayam when he was informed of the tragedy. He got the clearance from the U.S. Government to dispose of the bodies of the two women at Prasanthi Nilayam. Mr. Ramarao said arrangements have been made for cremation of the bodies.
Mr. Michael Oliver (25), an American national belonging to San Francisco who sustained multiple fractures with internal heamorrhage died at a hospital in Bangalore on Saturday night.

The Anantapur Collector, Mr. B. Rama Rao has ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident.

Editorial note: No results of any enquiry were found to be available. The parents of Ms. Air Bonnie Lynni Mainaric were unable to discover how or why their daughter died and considered her to be a victim of a dangerous cult.

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