At a time when yoga guru Ramdev is hogging limelight for his “satyagraha”, a little known Haridwar-based sadhu, Swami Nigamanand, died here on Monday after a record 114-day hunger strike, also against corruption.
Matri Sadan Ashram’s Swami Nigamanand was also hospitalised at Himalayan Hospital here, where the yoga guru is recovering. He was demanding immediate stopping of quarrying from the Ganga in Haridwar and alleged corruption in the government’s system with active involvement of a mafia.
District Magistrate R Meenakshisundaram said, “Swami Nigamanand died at the age of 36 in the Jolly Grant hospital this afternoon.” Nigamanand had begun his fast on February 19 and was in coma since May 2. An autopsy of Swami Nigamanand would be conducted in view of complaints of poisoning him by his fellow sadhus at the ashram, Meenakshisundram said.
The founder-head of Matri Sadan Ashram Swami Shivanand, had lodged a police complaint against the Chief Medical Superintendent of Haridwar district hospital and owner of a stone crusher in Haridwar on May 11 alleging that Swami Nigamanand was poisoned on April 30 during the treatment, following which he went into coma on May 2.
The fasting sadhu complained of vomitting on April 18, following which he was admitted to the Haridwar district hospital, where he was injected was given ‘Organophosphate’ which worsened his condition and he went into coma on May 2, Swami Shivanand had alleged.
