Speaking to media persons, Dalip Jha said that he first heard about his dad passing away from different newspapers and TV Channels. �Dalip has urged the Deputy commissioner of Darbhanga District and the local police to help them perform last rites of Ashutosh. �He further warned that if Bihar administration does not coordinate, the Jha family would move Punjab and Haryana High Court soon.
Dalip Jha has said that he has given a formal application to Deputy Commissioner Lokesh Kumar requesting help. �I have mentioned in the application that the district administration should intervene and help the family in getting the body so that it can be cremated without delay.�
When he was asked whether he would visit Noormahal, he said, �We are scared to visit Noormehal as dera followers are very influential. Hence, the family members and villagers are staging a dharna at Lakhnaur. We will break our fast only after the body is handed to the family.� Dalip Jha said that he and his family members would meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday.
Dera representatives have denied all the claims being made by Ashutosh�s family, and reiterated that �Ashutosh has no family and he is a Sanyasi.� They said, �Where was the family for the past three decades?�
Challenging Dera�s claims that Ashutosh has no family, Dalip Jha said, �My father left home in 1973 when I had just taken birth. After that I have met him on few occasions, but my telephonic conversations with him have been held on numerous occasions. Last time, I spoke with father in December, 2013 for half an hour. In a meeting held between us at Delhi in a congregation, he gave me Rs. 2 lakhs in cash to help promote my business. My mother Anandi Devi (70) is sad over the fake stories about his father being spread by the cult.�
Dalip�s brother-in-law Mohan Jha leveled charges that Ashutosh has not died a natural death but has been murdered at the Dera.
Mohan said that he was going to lodge a formal complaint at Lakhnaur police station for the registration of an FIR under Section 302 of the IPC. He said, �The way the entire issue has unfolded indicates that there has been foul play. I am sure that Ashutosh has been murdered at the dera. A case should be registered so that a proper investigation is conducted and the guilty get punished.�
On other side, Ashutosh�s elder brother Bhawedar Jha, former vice chancellor of Lal Bahadur Shastari Vidyapeeth, has also sought that the dead body be handed over to his family.