Bhaiyyu Maharaj, the 50-year-old spiritual leader, who shot himself to death at his Indore house was suffering from depression, according to the two-line suicide note. ‘Some body should be there to handle duties of family… I am leaving to(o) much stressed out, fed up (sic),’ Bhaiyyu Maharaj wrote before taking the fatal decision. The police is also investigating this angle. 'We have seized the suicide note. In the suicide note, he has mentioned mental tension but the reason for the tension is not known as yet. We are investigating the case,' DIG Harinarayanchari Mishra was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Talking about the investigation, Inspector General of Police Makrand Deoskar said that ‘all aspects of the case are being investigated. Family members will also be questioned.’ The Congress, meanwhile, has alleged that the Madhya Pradesh government had put pressure on him to accept privileges and support the Shivraj Singh Chouhan administration, which he refused to do. ‘He was under a lot of mental pressure. CBI probe should be done,’ Congress leader Manak Agarwal said. Bhaiyyu Maharaj had massive following in his home state Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra also. In 2016, the self-styled guru had announced that he renounce public life. In 2011, Bhaiyyu Maharaj shot to limelight, when the then UPA government deputed him as a mediator to persuade social activist Anna Hazare to call off his fast at the Ramlila ground in Delhi over the Lokpal issue. Before becoming Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had also invited Bhaiyyu Maharaj during his 'sadbhavna vrat' in Gujarat. Several VVIPs are known to have visited his Indore ashram. Narendra Modi, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Pratibha Patil, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle have visited him in the past.Despite tremendous clout, Bhaiyyu Maharaj never accepted any role in politics. He always maintained a safe distance and said that a saint is above all such worldly issues.<doc-sep>Self-styled spiritual leader Bhaiyyu Maharaj,who was close to many prominent politicians and declined a minister of state rank offer by the Madhya Pradesh government in April, apparently killed himself in Indore on Tuesday. He was 50. Deputy inspector general (DIG) of Indore Harinarayanchari Mishra said the spiritual leader locked himself inside his daughter’s room around 12.30pm and shot himself on the right side of his head. “On hearing the gunshot, servants broke open the door to find him slumped on a bean bag with his licensed revolver lying nearby,” the DIG said. Police said they recovered a two-page suicide note in which Bhaiyyu Maharaj talked of being “stressed out” and “fed up”. The DIG said that the first page of the note said “somebody should be there to handle duties of family” and the next line read “I am leaving, to (sic) much stressed out, fed up,” and is followed by his signature. The next page of the note says that all his financial matters would now be looked after by Vinakay, identified as an aide. The DIG said prima facie it appeared to be a case of suicide but the reason behind the suicide was not known. His family did not comment on the possible reasons for his suicide. Born Udaysingh Deshmukh in a farming family, Maharaj worked as a model for a textile company before styling himself into a spiritual leader, who led a flashy lifestyle, often seen sporting a Rolex watch and driving a Mercedes. He rose to national limelight in August 2011 when the then United Progressive Alliance government asked him to mediate on their behalf with Anna Hazare, who was leading an agitation in Delhi’s Ram Lila Maidan. In April 2018, the MP government gave him and four other religious leaders the rank of minister of state to work for rejuvenating the Narmada. He turned down the offer. He also had his share of controversies. In 2005, a woman claimed she bore Maharaj’s son, a claim the spiritual leader denied. In April, when he married Arushi Sharma, two years after death of his first wife Madhvi, a Mumbai-based actor and writer accused him of making her write his biography but not paying the promised remuneration. He was said to be close to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, former President Pratibha Patil, singer Lata Mangeshkar, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, former Maharashtra chief minister and Congress leader Vilasrao Deshmukh, and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackarey. “My heartfelt tribute to Bhaiyyu ji Maharaj. Your thoughts will inspire society to walk the path of humanity till eternity,” Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted. Gadkari tweeted a condolence message in Marathi while Bhagwat and RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi issued a joint statement, in which they said: “We have lost a friend of the Sangh and someone who spent his life in service of society.”<doc-sep>Bhaiyyuji was offered cabinet post by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in April. Bhaiyyuji was offered cabinet post by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in April. In an apparent suicide, spiritual leader Bhaiyyuji Maharaj was on Tuesday found dead with a gunshot wound in his temple at his Silver Spring Colony residence in Indore. In a short note believed to be left behind by him, Bhaiyyuji talked about stress and being fed up with life, but did not spell out a reason for the same. The 50-year-old was a former model and worked as a marketing executive before taking to preaching, a calling that gave him immense clout and a following cutting across political lines, mostly in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. It was Bhaiyyuji who mediated between Anna Hazare and the UPA government during his anti-corruption fast in 2011 in Delhi and was also invited to break then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s fast the same year. Bhaiyyuji appears to have been active on Twitter minutes before he is said to have shot himself with a pistol. Also read | Politicians across party lines pay tribute to spiritual leader Bhaiyyuji Maharaj Bhaiyyuji Maharaj’s alleged suicide noteFamily members and aides have told police that about 15 minutes after noon, they heard a gunshot from Bhaiyyuji’s room. They say they tried to get into his room and the adjacent one, but he did not respond despite several knocks. When the door was broken open, he was found with a bullet wound in the temple. Police said Bhaiyyuji was rushed to Bombay Hospital in the city, where he was declared dead. Read Also: Computer Baba, among five, granted Minister of State status in Madhya Pradesh: Who are they? Indore DIG Harinarayanchari Mishra said there were half a dozen people at home, including Bhaiyyuji’s wife and mother, at the time of the incident. Mishra said a suicide note, written in English and talking of “stress”, and a pistol were recovered from the room. The note, as per police, said: “Somebody should be there to handle duties of family. I am leaving to (too) much stressed out, fed up.” Earlier the DIG told The Indian Express that family dispute was the probable reason behind the suspected suicide. Investigators have ruled out foul play. The Congress, however, demanded a high-level probe into the suicide. Party spokesman Manak Agarwal claimed that ever since Bhaiyyuji refused to accept the perks that came with a minister of state status given to him by the state government recently, people linked to the BJP had been putting pressure on him to work for the party. Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh said Bhaiyyuji’s last Facebook posts gave no indication he was stressed. Bhaiyyuji had lost his wife Madhvi, who belonged to Aurangabad in Maharashtra, in 2015. After publicly talking about taking sanyas, he had married a much younger disciple, Dr Ayushi Sharma, in April 2017, taking his followers by surprise. He had said he was marrying for the second time because he had a young daughter. Now a teenager who studies in Pune, the daughter was reportedly unhappy with his decision to remarry and there was talk about dispute over his property. Bhaiyyuji had courted another controversy when, in 2017, a Mumbai-based woman had accused him of “dumping” her. She had written a book on him after visiting him in Indore, but he had distanced himself from her. Bhaiyyuji was born ‘Uday Singh Deshmukh’ to a family with a lot of landholding, in Shujalpur, Madhya Pradesh, in 1968, and worked in a private company and modelled for clothes. Unlike other preachers, he remained married when he adopted his new role, and lived with his wife and daughter. He was known for driving expensive cars and leading a lavish lifestyle, neither of which impacted his following. The Shri Sadguru Datt Dharmik Evam Parmarthik Trust that he formed in Indore was the headquarters of his spiritual activities, and he conducted his activities from a sprawling ashram at Bapat Square in Indore. Over time he also took to development, agriculture and educational activities in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. One of the areas of his work was stopping suicides by farmers. He used to occasionally appear on religious shows of regional television channels. In April, he was among the five spiritual figures and saints to be offered MoS status by the state government. After there were allegations that two of the saints had got the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government to give that position, in lieu of dropping a yatra to expose corruption in planting of saplings along the Narmada, Bhaiyyuji had declined perks like car and house that go with the MoS status. In 2016, the spiritual leader had been miffed with the Madhya Pradesh government after he was not invited to an event held in Indore ahead of the grand Simhasta Kumbha held in Ujjain. He had said the wasteful expenditure on the event was not justified. There had also been reports of him planning to convert to Buddhism, but he had denied the same. Chief Minister Chouhan had later called on him. Soon after, Bhaiyyuji and his followers had claimed that his car was attacked by stone-pelters in Pune, where he had gone to meet his daughter, for calling expenditure on the religious function “wasteful”.<doc-sep>Bhaiyyu Maharaj is known for his links with influential politicians and businessmen Highlights Reports suggest Bhaiyyu Maharaj shot himself over "domestic issues" Was among 5 religious leaders given status of minister by MP government Bhaiyyu Maharaj was popular in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh File photo of PM Narendra Modi with Bhaiyyu Maharaj Bhaiyyu Maharaj, a popular spiritual leader who counted some of the country's top politicians and celebrities among his followers, committed suicide on Tuesday by shooting himself in the head at his ashram in Madhya Pradesh's Indore. Bhaiyyuji Maharaj, born Uday Sinh Deshmukh , allegedly shot himself over "domestic issues". The police have reportedly found a suicide note that indicated that the 50-year-old was "depressed". He was declared dead at the Bombay hospital in Indore. "The country has lost a person who was a confluence of culture, knowledge and selfless service," said Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who had provoked opposition anger earlier this year by appointing Bhaiyyu Maharaj and four other "sadhus" as ministers. Bhaiyyu Maharaj had refused the government's offer , saying "a post has no importance to a saint". Lacerated by the opposition, the state government justified the controversial move saying the gurus were made ministers to facilitate their work as members of a committee for the conservation of the river Narmada.The self-styled guru was known for his links with influential politicians and businessmen. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar were among his many followers.During the India Against Corruption campaign of 2011 for a Lokpal or anti-corruption watchdog, the Congress-led government sent Bhaiyyu Maharaj to persuade Anna Hazare to end his fast. Anna Hazare finally accepted a glass of juice from him.Bhaiyyu Maharaj was also invited by Narendra Modi when, as Chief Minister of Gujarat, he sat on a "Sadbhavna (harmony) fast".Popular mainly in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, the guru announced in 2016 that he would give up public life. Scores of his supporters were seen outside the hospital where he was taken today. Last year, Bhaiyyu Maharaj married Ayushi Sharma, a doctor. His first wife died two years before. "We are sad. Why did he have to commit suicide? A probe is necessary. We don't know what happened," said Computer Baba, another Madhya-Pradesh based spiritual leader recommended for a ministerial post by the state government.<doc-sep>
Bhaiyyuji Maharaj, a popular spiritual leader, allegedly shot himself. A suicide note was found near him. Highlights Police found a two-line suicide note written by Bhayyuji Maharaj 50-year-old had top politicians and celebrities among his followers The police said his family would be questioned Police have found this suicide note at Bhaiyyuji Maharaj's residence Spiritual leader Bhaiyyu Maharaj, who shot himself on Tuesday at his home in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, was "depressed", the police said, referring to his suicide note.The 50-year-old, who had top politicians and celebrities among his followers, wrote in the note that he was "stressed out", according to the police. "Somebody should be there to handle duties of family. I am leaving to much stressed out, fed up (sic)," Bhaiyyu Maharaj wrote in the two-line note found by the police.Another part of the alleged suicide note went viral on the social media today. It said: "My all powers of finance, properties, bank accounts, all powers of signing authorities will be Vinayak, because I'm having trust in Vinayak. I'm writing this thing without pressure. "The police said the guru appeared to be referring to one of his most trusted aides, with him for the last 15 years.Popular to his followers as "Bhaiyyuji Maharaj", the guru had married for the second time last year. He had a daughter with his first wife, who died in 2015 of a heart attack.The police said his family, reportedly at home at the time, would be questioned. CCTV footage, the gun used by the guru and his mobile phone have been seized by the cops. "Domestic discord has come to light during the initial investigation into Bhaiyuji Maharaj's suicide, but besides this, we are conducting a detailed probe from other angles also," senior police officer Ajay Sharma told the Press Trust of India, adding, "We will not jump to any conclusion." Bhaiyyu Maharaj recently made headlines as one of the five spiritual leaders given the status of ministers by the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh. He turned it down, saying a "post has no importance to a saint." A former model , Bhaiyyu Maharaj was born Udaysinh Deshmukh in Shujalpur, around 90 km from Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal. Over the years, he developed links to several politicians, including from the BJP and the Congress. He announced his retirement from public life in 2016. "The country has lost a person who was a confluence of culture, knowledge and selfless service," said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS also condoled his death.Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has blamed the state government for Bhaiyyuji Maharaj's suicide. "He was worried about illegal mining in the Narmada by the Shivraj Singh Chauhan-led government and was offered the post of minister to shut his mouth. He rejected the offer and had told me about it on call," Digvijaya Singh alleged in an interview to news agency ANI.