"Somebody should be there to handle duties of family. I am leaving. Too much stressed out, fed up," he wrote.
"A suicide note and a pistol have been seized. All aspects of the case are being investigated. Family members will also be questioned," Inspector General of Police Makrand Deoskar said.
Live Updates on Bhaiyyu Maharaj Suicide
- "He shot himself on his right temple in a room bolted from inside. His body was brought out by breaking the door of the room and taken to hospital, where he was declared 'brought dead'," PTI quoted a police officer as saying.
- A notepad was found in his room on which he had purportedly written, 'Somebody should be there to handle duties of family, I am leaving, too much stressed out, fed up'. The family members of the spiritual guru claimed that this was his own handwriting but the police will verify this
through experts, police officer said.
- Madhya Pradesh government had put pressure on him to accept privileges & support the government, which he refused to do. He was under a lot of mental pressure. CBI probe should be done: Manak Agarwal, Congress on Bhayyuji Maharaj's alleged suicide
- My tribute to saint Bhayyuji Maharaj (who allegedly committed suicide). The country has lost a person who was a confluence of culture, knowledge & selfless service: MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
- "Got to know about the sad demise of religious guru Bhaiyyuji Maharaj. I was having personal relations with him. I am saddened by his sudden demise. My tributes," Union Minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted.
- A large number of his supporters gathered in front of the hospital.
- He was based in Indore and his social trusts work largely in the rural areas of Maharashtra. He was rushed to the Bombay Hospital here where he succumbed to his injuries, its General Manager Rahul Parashar said.
- He was very popular in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh because of his spiritual and social works.
His ashram is situated in Indore city and top political leaders including Devendra Fadnavis, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar among others are his disciples.
Born in 1968 in a family of agriculturists at Shujalpur in Madhya Pradesh, Udai Singh Deshmukh, or Bhaiyyuji Maharaj, was invited by Narendra Modi during 'sadbhavna upwaas'.
He came into limelight when the then central government sent him as a mediator to persuade Anna Hazare to call off his fast at the Ramlila ground.
Bhaiyyuji Maharaj has surprised his followers when tied the knot with Dr Ayushi Sharma, a native of Shivpuri, in April 2017, a year after he had announced his intention to take 'sanyas' from public life. His first wife, Madhavi, had passed away in November 2015.
He was also caught in a controversy on his wedding day after an actress accused him of 'cheating' on her. She had alleged that Bhaiyyuji calls her up from different numbers to disturb her.
"He had kept me in an illusion and now calls me from different numbers. Do not trust him. I will send him a court notice for not returning my book. I have his letter too. He is a puppet of lies and nothing else," she had wrote.
Reacting to allegations, his PA, Tushar Patil, had then said that the woman is doing all this for publicity.
"She used to come to Bhayyu Maharaj and tell that she is writing a book on him. The book contains things that are fictional," he had said.