Chennai: Puducherry police are giving 24-hour protection to the three sisters and their father who survived a suicide pact on Thursday and were admitted to the government hospital.

Police stopped a suicide attempt by Hemalata, one of the five sisters, but could not prevent the sisters and their aged parents from jumping into the sea in the early morning of Thursday. The family decided to take the extreme step to mark their protest against their eviction from Sri Aurobindo Ashram after they lost their 12 year long legal battle against the Ashram in the Supreme Court.

Jayashree, Hemalatha and Niveditha along with their father Prasad are now in hospital. More than 20 police personnel including women constables are on duty at the hospital round the clock. A number of outfits and civil society organisations called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on Saturday, demanding that the Union and Puducherry governments intervene and take over Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

The eldest daughter of Gadadar Prasad from Bihar still remains dazed at the bleak future staring at her.

“If we are chased out of our homes, where else can we go? I am 55 and have spent the last 35 years of my life here. We are not in touch with any of our relatives and have nowhere to go,” Jayashree said.

“We had approached the police several times, we had even appealed to the Chief Minister but no one helped. We have no choice,” she added.

Jayashree then begins her tirade against the Aurobindo Ashram and its management.

“We suffered sexual harassment for a long time from the trustee and his henchmen. Most of the young men and women suffer in silence. The ashram is a government unto itself,” she says.