A senior functionary of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad has gone missing while travelling by train from Haridwar to Kalyan (Mumbai).
According to railway police, the last location of his mobile phone on Sunday evening was found to be in Meerut, but there is no trace of Mahant Mohan Das, spokesperson of the apex body of Hindu sadhus and also head of the Udasi Akhada.
Mohan Das had earlier this month released a list of 14 "fake babas", weeks after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to 20 years in jail for rape.
Government Railway Police SP (Bhopal) Anita Malviya told IANS on Monday that Das was travelling by the Haridwar-Lokmanya Tilak Express in coach A-1. He had alighted at Nizamuddin station. After that no passenger recalls seeing him.
According to railway police, the train was travelling nine hours behind schedule. On Saturday evening, at 7.30 p.m. the train reached Bhopal. An aide of the Mahant was at the station to provide food for Das, but could not find him. He alerted others that Das was missing.
Malviya said that when GRP received the news the train had reached Bhusawal station. The GRP at Bhusawal went to coach A-1 and saw some belongings of Das lying on his seat no 22.
The GRP at Bhusawal were told by fellow passengers that the Mahant did not return to the coach after the train crossed Nizamuddin railway station.
Malviya said that his mobile phone's last location was found to be in Meerut late on Sunday evening.
Indore Police DIG Harinarayan Chari told IANS on Monday that there was a rumour that Das was in Indore. On that basis, police went to inquire at his ashram and at other related places, but no headway was made. Police are still trying to trace the Mahant.
Many people who had gathered to welcome the Mahant on Sunday at Kalyan station found that he was not on the train, but his luggage was there.
