Bodhi Shrawan Dharma Sangh, a non-governmental organisation founded by Ram Bahadur Bomjan, has refuted all accusations levelled against Bomjan as baseless.

“All the charges filed against Guru [Bomjan] are just conspiracies hatched against him. The accusations are baseless,” said Manik Lama,  spokesperson for Sangh, addressing a press conference at Bomjan’s ashram in Badegaun of Indrawati Rural Municipality on Sunday. Lama claimed Sangh and its Sindhupalchok ashram had no knowledge regarding missing Sanchalal Waiba and three other nuns.

“Perhaps they came here as devotees. We don’t have any records and information of those four persons,” he said.

Lama claimed that it was impossible to keep records of all the devotees and well wishers who visited the ashram.

“We have records of all the followers staying in the ashram. Police should ask us first about it,” said Lama, expressing dissatisfaction over the recent police raid on the ashram.

On Friday, police had raided the ashram of the controversial ascetic in the forest of Todkebari, following complaints by the relatives of the people who have been missing from his shelter for years. The investigation officers suspect missing Waiba might have been murdered.

Security personnel searching for Waiba and three other nuns had discovered eight wrappers of salt packets near Bomjan’s ashram on Friday evening. They also found pieces of coal a few metres from the place where the packets were recovered.

The recovered wrappers and coals were sent to a laboratory in Kathmandu for test, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Bimal Raj Kandel.

The security personnel and a team of forensic experts carried out investigation into the case in the ashram.

Police have been keeping Bomjan and his ashrams under close watch after relatives of Waiba and three other missing nuns started searching for their loved ones. Waiba’s son Mahendra had filed a complaint with police, saying his father had gone missing from Bomjan’s ashram.

Bomjan has ashrams in Bara, Sarlahi, Sindhupalchok and Sindhuli districts. Bomjan is said to have been in his Sindhuli ashram recently. Waiba, Fulmaya Rumba, and Chunmo Dolma Tamang have been out of contact with their families for years.