The Haryana Police on Friday started questioning controversial godman Rampal for the six deaths which occurred at his ashram and the violence which broke out, following a standoff with the police.
A court in Hisar has given five-day police remand of Rampal and he would be in questioned on all aspects related to the ashram, the deaths, violence and his refusal to surrender earlier, sources said. A Special Investigation Team is expected to submit its report on Saturday on the details of the seizures to the headquarters.
Meanwhile, a huge cache of arms, a private swimming pool, state-of-the-art elevators and 24 AC rooms with one having a massage bed were found inside the highly-fortified Satlok Ashram from where Rampal was arrested.
The details came to the fore during the police operation to nab the “mouse” — the code name used for the 63-year-old engineer-turned-preacher, who was arrested on Wednesday.
The cops came across a number of almirahs. From two almirahs police has found .32 bore revolvers, .315 bore rifles and 12 bore guns. The officials found some ammunition, including several rounds used in self-loading rifles (SlR) and 303 rifles. It was not immediately clear whether the weapons were licensed or illegal.
Most of the weapons were kept in bags and almirahs in two secret rooms. In the centre of the ashram, Rampal had an elevated structure on which he had his seat. The ammunition was stored under the structure so that no one could suspect the location.
The ashram, built like a fortress, is surrounded by high walls with watchtowers. A special room was set up within the Ashram for his security men comprising private commandos.
The sprawling complex was found to be under constant surveillance with CCTV cameras installed at several key-points to keep a tab on the movements of devotees, who largely came from low-income strata.
At the entrance of Ashram, spread over 12 acres adjacent to Chandigarh-Hisar national highway in Hisar district of Haryana, police found metal detectors to check the devotees.
The AC rooms in the Ashram, which could be compared to a starred hotel or a farm house, had attached bathrooms fitted with top-of-the line fixtures. One of the rooms had a massage bed, while another a treadmill.
The ‘satsang’ (prayer) hall in the complex, which came up in four years, is the centerpiece of the Ashram having a sitting capacity for 50,000 people. Rampal used to sit in a hydraulic chair to deliver sermons from a bullet proof enclosure as his private militia stood guard.
Nearly 15,000 supporters of the 63-year-old Rampal were evacuated from the compound, another 4,000 left the ashram on their own as police took over the complex and began searching the area for evidence.
Since 2010, Rampal, had ignored 43 court summonses, seeking exemptions each time.