Bhaiyyu Maharaj: Godman who 'broke' fasts of Modi, Hazare kills himself

Modi with Maharaj Bhaiyyu Maharaj offering lemon juice to then-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for breaking his 'Sadbhavna' fast in 2011 | PTI

Controversial self-styled spiritual guru Bhaiyyu Maharaj on Tuesday committed suicide at his residence in the Silver Spring locality of Indore.

Uday Singh Deshmukh alias Bhaiyyu Maharaj, a model-turned-spiritual guru, allegedly shot himself in the right temple with a revolver. He was rushed to Bombay hospital, police sources said.

Police confirmed that the godman committed suicide as he was suffering from depression for a long time. Unofficial sources said that the spiritual guru was suffering from depression due to family problems. Maharaj was recently mired in a controversy when a lady disciple wrote a book disclosing scandalous secrets about his ashram.

The controversial godman had married for the second time last year after his wife, Madhvi, died two years ago. In 2017, Maharaj married a doctor disciple. Bhaiyyu Maharaj was very popular among high-profile politicians from Maharashtra and Gujarat.

He shot to fame when he was chosen by Anna Hazare in 2011 to break his fast at Ramlila ground. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also chose him to break his Sadbhavna fast in Gujarat in 2011 when he was chief minister of the state.

Eminent personalities like former president Pratibha Patil, former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sharad Pawar, Lata Mangeshkar, Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray and Asha Bhonsle have visited his three-story ashram in Indore.

Recently, Maharaj was appointed as a member of state-level committee with minister rank by the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh. However, the godman refused to accept the position.