Collector Nikunj Shrivastava said a magisterial inquiry had been ordered into the incident. He said it was too early to comment on the cause of death. He said the administration would ensure the safety of the remaining children. More than 370 students study at the Chhindwara gurukul.

Vedang’s parents could not be traced in Pune. The family home in Sadashiv Peth in the city was locked. Neighbours said Vedang’s father Krishna Waman Manmode had left the house with his wife and daughter Vedika around 7.30 pm without telling anyone where they were headed. According to the neighbours, the Manmodes had moved into Vishnu Apartments last February.

The Asaram Bapu ashram is named after its founder who settled in Ahmedabad after Partition. It has grown into one of the country’s largest, wealthiest spiritual abodes over the years — with properties worth several hundred crores, 111 campuses within India and nearly 1200 meditation centres worldwide.

In Ahmedabad earlier this month, the bodies of two boys, Dipesh Vaghela and Abhishek Vaghela, wards of the gurukul, were found on the Sabarmati riverbed. The bodies were mutilated, internal organs missing in one. Parents of the boys alleged foul play and allegations of a shoddy police probe led to widespread protests. The Gujarat government asked Justice D K Trivedi, a retired High Court judge, to probe the deaths. The inquiry commission will submit its report within three months.