New book seeks court-monitored probe into Osho’s death

New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) "Who Killed Osho?" an investigative book on the death of the spiritual leader has called for court-monitored investigations into Oshos death on January 19, 1990, and the affairs of the public trusts controlling the Osho Commune's assets and properties in India.

The book, by journalist Abhay Vaidya, presents fresh revelations about the circumstances surrounding Osho's death, the controversy around Osho's allegedly forged will -- which surfaced 23 years after his death -- and the fierce legal battles in India, Europe and the US on the "Osho" copyright, branding and trademark issues.

Additionally, it throws light on the death in suspicious circumstances of British national Christena Woolf Smith, also known as "Nirvano".

Well-known as Osho's girlfriend of early years and his soulmate, Nirvano died inside the Pune Commune barely 41 days before Osho's death. Her death was spoken about in hushed tones and she was cremated hurriedly, the book says.

"There are far too many inconsistencies in the official version of Osho's death, too many contradictions and damning eye-witness accounts which cannot be ignored or wished away," says the author in the book while calling for a court-appointed Special Investigation Team to look into the issue.

Pune-based Vaidya is a senior journalist who has served as the Washington correspondent of a national daily and as editor in India.

Published by Om Books International, "Who Killed Osho?" is the result of nearly three decades of reportage and investigative journalism and is based on extensively recorded audio and video interviews with Osho's closest followers and a mass of official documents, testimonies and press reports.

The book traces the early years of Osho and his Neo-Sannyas Movement and the magnetic appeal that drew a large number of Indians and Westerners, many of them highly accomplished, towards him.

Osho was revolutionary in his thoughts and ideas, and he struck a chord in many hearts through his powerful oratory and exposition on religion, spiritualism, traditions, society and institutions. His meditation techniques are part of his unique contribution to the world and are popular across the globe, the book says.

Osho's death in January 1990 triggered intense factional fights and intrigue among his closest followers for control of the funds, intellectual properties and other assets of the movement. The book captures the history of the movement and, according to the author, qualifies as the definitive account to date of Osho's death and that of Nirvano.

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