Ram Rahim granted 21-day furlough; SGPC links it to Punjab polls, Khattar denies
Gurmeet Ram Rahim, serving a 20-year term for raping two women disciples at his ashram and life term for murdering a journalist, was lodged in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail.
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Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. (Express File Photo by Jaipal Singh)Two weeks before Punjab goes to polls, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Sing was granted a three-week furlough on Monday to meet his family in Gurgaon, a reprieve that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said was “a legal right of a convict” and had nothing to do with elections. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee linked the move to the Assembly polls.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim, serving a 20-year term for raping two women disciples at his ashram and life term for murdering a journalist, was lodged in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail. He has been granted the furlough from February 7 till February 27. The 21-day furlough comes ahead of February 20 Assembly polls in Punjab, where the sect has a large number of followers, particularly in Bathinda, Sangrur, Patiala and Muktsar.
Officials said the dera chief arrived at his ashram in Gurgaon around 5 pm. He was joined by his family members, including his mother and children, at the ashram in half-an-hour, police sources said. A convoy of a dozen vehicles had reached the Sunaria jail from the dera’s Sirsa headquarters to receive him.
Sources said one of the conditions of his furlough is that he will reside at the ashram in South City 2 in Sector 50 for the period of furlough and will not go anyplace else which has not been specified in the release warrant without seeking permission from Gurgaon Police Commissioner and District Magistrate. The release warrant also states that he shall surrender at district jail, Sunaria, on February 27.
The release warrant also stated that the prisoner shall not visit any public place during the furlough period. “Nor shall the prisoner conduct any event, meeting, discourse, religious or political announcement or speech etc through physical or online medium,” it added.
At a party programme, Khattar denied any link between the sect leader’s release from jail in Rohtak district and the Punjab elections. “I think it is a coincidence and has no connection with the polls,” he said.
Khattar said a prisoner who has completed three years of his term can apply for furlough. This is followed by a process which includes clearances from the administration and the involvement of police and jail authorities. “Things work as per the system, our legal provisions and the Constitution of India. It is a legal and administrative process. Any convict has a legal right of being released on furlough,” Khattar added.
Earlier, Haryana Prisons Minister Ranjit Singh told reporters that the state government had nothing to do with granting parole or furlough to a jail inmate. “It is the legal right of the convict… Like other inmates, Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s request application was also examined by the requisite committee that deals with such cases and his request was allowed,” he said.
In a statement in Amritsar, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami accused the BJP of spoiling the atmosphere in the country “for the purpose of gaining political advantage in the elections”. Dhami claimed that the move would harm communal harmony in Punjab.
Dhami accused the BJP governments at the Centre and in Haryana of “playing a political game”, asking them to immediately rectify the “mistake” and apologise to Punjabis and particularly the Sikhs.
He claimed that the Sirsa sect chief head has been interrogated earlier in connection with the desecration in 2015 of the Guru Granth Sahib in Faridkot district. “The BJP does not want to see a peaceful Punjab, that is why Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been brought out,” Dhami claimed.
He said the Sikh sentiment would never tolerate this and the move will be strongly opposed.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim has a significant following in Punjab where his dera has a branch in nearly all the districts. Dera’s followers have a significant presence in at least 69 seats of Punjab, especially in the Malwa region.
In October 2021, a special CBI court had sentenced the dera chief and four others to life imprisonment for the murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh in 2002. He was also sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for raping two of his disciples in 2017.
The dera chief had been released from jail thrice earlier on various grounds, including for getting a medical checkup and to meet his mother. However, this is for the first time that he will remain out of prison for such a long period.
Gurgaon Police Commissioner K K Rao confirmed that the dera chief will be staying in Gurgaon for the period of his furlough. A Gurgaon police officer said additional security has been deployed in the vicinity of the dera chief’s residence in Sector 50, including quick response teams.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim had applied for furlough before Rohtak Jail Superintendent, which was forwarded to Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner. Earlier this week, Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner and Gurgaon Police Commissioner sent their reports and recommendations to Rohtak Divisonal Commissioner.
On Monday, ahead of his arrival in Gurgaon, several dera followers travelled hundreds of kilometres from as far as Kaithal and Bhiwani to get a glimpse of him. Many followers stood outside the gate of the ashram in South City 2 and video called relatives to show them the premises.
Sonu Insha, 26, a resident of Kaithal, said when he heard the news of dera chief’s furlough, he drove to Gurgaon to see him. “I have been his follower since I was a child. Both my parents are followers of the dera. I will return after meeting him,” he said.
Lata Devi, who is from Sirsa and has been staying in Gurgaon for the past three years, had come to see the dera chief with her husband. “Our relatives in Sirsa informed us about the furlough and that he will be coming to the ashram in Gurgaon. I came to just see him once. But we reached late. Police are not allowing us to enter,” she said.
(With ENS Chandigarh, Amritsar)
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