The ashram management had told police that Vedant was found with his head immersed in a bucket of water in the bathroom. Prajapati says it’s a “conspiracy against the ashram.”

Though no poison could be traced in Yadav’s body, the viscera has been sent to the forensic lab in Jabalpur. A specialist from Bhopal was brought to perform Vedant’s autopsy. The report is awaited.

Both the boys died around same time on two consecutive days in two bathrooms adjoining each other. The bathrooms are just about five metres away from the dormitory where the boys were put up. Vaiphei says: “The prayer had started around 6 p.m.. but Vedant wasn’t there. Later, he was found dead in the bathroom... The kids don’t talk freely before the police, so we are trying other ways. We are also profiling the sadhaks.”

There were protests outside the ashram and most of the protestors belonged to the Samajwadi Party and Gondwana Gantantra Party. The BJP and the Congress, however, have preferred to wait and watch. “We met the Collector yesterday and have demanded a probe which has since been ordered. Why disturb peace? Let’s wait for the probe result,” says district BJP chief Ramesh Dube.