This story is from February 11, 2021

Murderer was revered as sage in Gujarat's Amreli

The arrest of Sanjeev Kumar, the most-wanted criminal convicted of murdering a former Haryana MLA and his seven family members from Meerut last week, has sent shock waves in a tiny hamlet of Amreli district.
Murderer was revered as sage in Gujarat's Amreli
Anand Yog ashram in Chhatadiya village of Rajula taluka
RAJKOT: The arrest of Sanjeev Kumar, the most-wanted criminal convicted of murdering a former Haryana MLA and his seven family members from Meerut last week, has sent shock waves in a tiny hamlet of Amreli district.
After jumping parole in 2018, Kumar (45) had come to Anand Yog ashram in Chhatadiya village of Rajula taluka where people even started worshipping him as an ascetic.
Kumar had changed his name to Anandgiri and started living as a priest in the ashram of Khadeshwari Bapu, a locally revered saint.

Virbhadra Dabhiya, sarpanch of Chhatadiya, said, “He came here dressed in a saffron robe saying that he was a priest. He started living here and gradually people started worshiping him. He impressed people with his oratory skill.”
“We are very shocked hearing his real story. Learning this, we can’t trust any priest now,” said Dabhiya.
Sanjeev and his wife Sonia had murdered his father-in-law Barwala MLA Relu Ram Punia and seven other members in August 2001 in Barwala, Hisar. They were sentenced to death in 2004 but the punishment was reduced to life imprisonment later.
The 20-year-old ashram has a large number of followers that range from villagers, politicians and some even holding Constitutional posts. The villagers have immense faith in the ashram and devotees have been thronging here in huge numbers even after the death of Khadeswari Bapu.

Every year, Kumar used to organize Krushi Sammelan, a farmer’s congregation and had even invited Gujarat governor Acharya Devvrat in February 2020. Haryana police suspected he was hiding in Gujarat and moving in various cities. A team had also visited the state a few times in search of him and his photos was shown to various priests. One priest had identified him and gave information about him, but Kumar left that place before police reached there.
After living as sadhu in Haridwar and Rishikesh, Kumar was finally arrested from Meerut where he was living with the identity of Omanand Giri Baba.
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