Editing Sathya Sai Baba (section)

===Anomalies and possible unnatural death===

From the time Sai Baba was admitted to hospital on 28 March, questions and allegations arose about his care and subsequently the role of his personal aide, Satyajit Salian. Police sources said, "Satyajit did not feed Sai Baba proper food and gave him lot of sedative drugs, resulting in the deterioration of the latter’s health, leading up to Sai Baba's death."<ref name="saiaide">{{Cite news | title =Satyajit blamed for Sathya Sai Baba's death? Aide gets death threats | newspaper=[[Indian Express]] | date = 26 April 2011 | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/satyajit-blamed-for-sathya-sai-babas-death-aide-gets-death-threats/|access-date = 26 April 2011}}</ref> Doctors from the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, who treated Sai Baba, neither confirmed nor denied that [[sedative]] drugs were given to him prior to his admission to the hospital following respiratory problems. Later assessment from doctors noted lack of food had led to muscular weakness.<ref name="saivent">{{Cite news | title =Sathya Sai Baba better, still on ventilator| newspaper=[[The Times of India]] | date = 4 April 2011| url=
http://m.timesofindia.com/articleshow/7859107.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
|access-date = 4 April 2011}}</ref> Citing death threats and possible harm to his well-being from within the ashram community (after one of two trust members were allowed to sign cheques from a multi-billion dollar account), as well as from outside, a senior police officer said that Sathyajit was provided police protection.<ref name="saiaide"/><ref name="scaregiver">{{Cite news | title =Threat to life of Sai Baba's caregiver & personal doctor| newspaper=[[The Times of India]] | date = 26 April 2011| url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/threat-to-life-of-sai-babas-caregiver-personal-doctor/articleshow/8085008.cms|access-date = 26 April 2011}}</ref>

On 10 April, direct relatives expressed wonder as to why they were kept in the dark and knew nothing about Sai Baba's state of health. "It is almost two months since Baba stopped taking food [but] we were not told about it."<ref name="nieaftersai"/> Family members said they were livid about the secrecy around Sai Baba's health and medical treatments and as to why the trust was not allowing anyone direct contact with him except for Sathyajit, his personal attendant.<ref name="secrecyhealth">{{Cite news | title =Secrecy about Sai Baba's health angers kin| newspaper=[[The Times of India]] | date = 6 April 2011 | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Secrecy-about-Sai-Babas-health-angers-kin/articleshow/7879413.cms|access-date = 6 April 2011}}</ref> They only saw him from a distance in the ICU on April 2 after raising a furore.<ref name="secrecyhealth"/> It was on 28 March, when Sai Baba complained of giddiness and slowing of the heartbeat that he was taken to hospital.<ref name="nieaftersai">{{Cite news | title =After Sathya Sai Baba, who?| newspaper=[[The New Indian Express]] | date = 10 April 2011 | url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2011/Apr/10/after-sathya-sai-baba-who-243289.html|access-date = 10 April 2011}}</ref>

On 21 April, the ''Deccan Herald'' reported an allegation stating that Sathya Sai Baba had died 20 days prior and that his death was not being announced in order to receive money from Indian and foreign devotees.<ref name="saibe96">{{Cite news | title =Sai Baba's devotees believe he will live for 96 years| newspaper=[[Deccan Herald]] | date = 21 April 2011| url=
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/sai-babas-devotees-believe-he-2409274
|access-date = 21 April 2011}}</ref>

On 28 April 2011, four days after the death of Sai Baba, ''[[The Times of India]]'' printed a story questioning the time of his death. A business making freezer boxes said that the one in which Sai Baba was kept was ordered on 4 April, partial payment was also made at that time. The freezer box arrived in [[Puttaparthi]] on 5 April. Sai Baba was admitted to hospital on 28 March but his condition had officially worsened on 15 April. "The order was placed by Rajendranath Reddy of Bangalore [and] according to sources, the powerful [[Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust]] had a role in ordering the freezer box."<ref name="saianomoly">{{Cite news | title =So, did Sai Baba die on April 24? | newspaper=[[The Times of India]] | date = 28 April 2011 | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/so-did-sai-baba-die-on-april-24/articleshow/8103613.cms|access-date = 28 April 2011}}</ref> According to Lakshmi, the owner of Kumar and Co International (freezer box company), her colleague Ganesh called Rajendranath to confirm the purchase for Sai Baba. "He confirmed the same and told Ganesh not to discuss the matter with anyone."<ref name="saianomoly"/>

Within two months of Sai Baba's death, his niece Chetana Raju alleged that she was facing death threats from some trust members.<ref>{{Cite news | title =Sathya Sai Baba's niece claims threat to life from trustees| newspaper=[[India Today]] | date = 20 June 2011 | url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/south/story/sai-babas-niece-claims-life-threat-136011-2011-06-20|access-date = 20 June 2011}}</ref>

In 2015, Ganapathy Raju, Sathya Sai Baba's first cousin, alleged that Sai Baba was murdered. He believes Satya Sai died on 29 March and not as officially declared on 24 April, saying that "Baba was a victim of a well-planned conspiracy and pre-planned hi tech murder" (adding) that the trust members had ordered a glass coffin and two truckloads of flowers even when Baba was unwell."<ref name="cousingana">{{Cite news | title =Puttaparthi Sai Baba death a planned murder, says first cousin
| newspaper=[[The Hans India]] | date = 25 April 2015 | url=https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Andhra-Pradesh/2015-04-25/Puttaparthi-Sai-Baba-death-a-planned-murder-says-first-cousin/146845?infinitescroll=1|access-date = 25 April 2015}}</ref> Ganapathy also alleged that trust members were behind silencing the real date of Sai Baba's death in order to buy time to "usurp the huge wealth of the trust fund", asserting that properties worth hundreds of millions of dollars have "changed hands".<ref name="cousingana"/> Dr Aiyar, Sai Baba's personal physician, was heavily criticized for not maintaining any medical records of Sai Baba.<ref name="drerr">{{Cite news | title =Threat to life of Sai Baba's caregiver & personal doctor| newspaper=[[The Times of India]] | date = 26 April 2011| url=
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/threat-to-life-of-sai-babas-caregiver-personal-doctor/articleshow/8085008.cms
|access-date =26 April 2011}}</ref>

Ganapathy Raju's main ideas of interest laid with the medical treatment and drugs given to Sai Baba, primarily by Satyajit Salian.<ref name="cousingana"/><ref name="saiaide"/> Shyam Sunder, who had been involved with [[Prasanthi Nilayam]] since 1968, also raised concerns about harassment and exploitation from Satyajit as numerous allegations by devotees and workers in [[Prasanthi Nilayam]] arose saying that Satyajit would intimidate and physically abuse them.<ref name="concerns"/> Like Ganapathy, Sunder also alleged that "Satyajit and his associates had been administering sleeping pills to Sai Baba for over six years. Though Sai Baba resisted the pills after his return from Brindavan at Whitefield, [[Bangalore]], in 2006, he was forced to take them ... and within a few months, Baba became sluggish and weak."<ref name="concerns">{{Cite news | title =Sai Baba's Death Sparks Succession Rumour| newspaper=[[India Today]] | date = 25 April 2011| url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/south/story/sai-babas-death-sparks-succession-rumour-132713-2011-04-25
|access-date = 25 April 2011}}</ref> Satyajit also controlled if and when the doctors could see Sai Baba,<ref name="concerns"/> and within two days of Sai Baba's passing, [[The Times of India]] reported that Satyajit (who was a paid employee of the ashram and "had no say whatsoever in the trust affairs or activities,")<ref name="pradeshnews">{{Cite news | title =Baba's aide Satyajitto be shown the door?| newspaper=[[Great Andhra]] | date = 28 April 2011| url=https://www.greatandhra.com/articles/special-articles/babas-aide-satyajit-to-be-shown-the-door-28705|access-date = 28 April 2011}}</ref> was given authority to sign checks from the multi billion dollar trust account.<ref name="saiaide"/><ref name="scaregiver"/>