Police investigating the fatal fall of a disciple at Premanand Maharaj's ashram in Mathura are pursuing several new leads. The follower, Rasik Dulari, died on September 25 after plunging from the fourth floor of the ashram complex, prompting authorities to look into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Police sources reveal that the ashram enforced rigid communication protocols for disciples and seekers. Upon joining, members reportedly had their personal devices seized and were issued replacement phones and SIM cards managed by the facility.
A police inquiry is underway to determine the rationale behind the practice, including an examination of device usage and the presence of active monitoring or recording functions. Concurrently, investigators are identifying the repositories and custodians of the disciples' mobile records and prior contact histories, as reported by NDTV.
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According to police, individuals inside the ashram were largely cut off from the outside world, facing severe restrictions—and often total bans—on contacting family and friends.
Authorities are trying to establish the residents' level of isolation, including the extent of their interactions with family and old acquaintances.
Investigators probing Rasik Dulari's death are increasingly focusing on his mental health. Police are looking into whether he was battling severe stress or depression, and whether he had confided in family, close friends, or long-time acquaintances about any struggles he may have been facing.
Investigators are focusing on his life and behavioural shifts before he joined the ashram. To reconstruct his final days and identify his last contacts, police are analysing digital evidence, including his past phone, recent SIM card, call records, and message logs.
Mathura police have intensified their probe into Rasik Dulari's death, having recorded statements from 85 individuals to date. Investigators are actively questioning his family and close associates to determine whether he had expressed any distress, concerns, or grievances related to the ashram.
At present, the inquiry centres on the circumstances of his demise, his day-to-day routine and conduct at the ashram, and the forensic analysis of his digital and mobile communications.
Though initially investigated as a suicide, the death of Rasik Dulari has come under closer scrutiny following the emergence of prior events and CCTV footage. Investigators are currently reconstructing his movements and evaluating his physical and mental state leading up to the incident.
To establish whether drugs, alcohol, or other psychoactive substances were involved, Mathura police have sent his blood samples for forensic testing, particularly after footage revealed unusual behaviour and body language shortly before his death.
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The case presents a puzzling sequence of events, centred around the severe trauma discovered on Rasik Dulari's body and his final moments on camera. Police reports indicate that Rasik had sustained a critical injury to his groin.
Investigative findings revealed that when he exited his room, security cameras captured bloodstains already visible on his clothing. He climbed the stairs to the fourth-floor terrace, where footage shows him sitting down and lying flat for a short period before getting to his feet and, moments later, plunging off the edge.
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