Haryana BJP leaders seek Dera chief’s blessings; Delhi Commission for Women slams CM Khattar

They include Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Krishan Panwar, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s officer on special duty (OSD) and former minister Krishan Bedi, transport minister Moolchand Sharma’s brother, Guhla Cheeka MLA’s daughter-in-law and several chairmen of municipalities.

Reacting to the development, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson Swati Maliwal lashed out at CM Khattar. In her tweet, Maliwal mentioned Krishan Panwar and Krishan Bedi’s presence in the online interactive session of the Dera chief and asked Khattar to clarify his stand that whether he was with the women or the rapist (Dera chief)?

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is expected to reach Dera’s headquarters at Sirsa Wednesday to celebrate the birth anniversary of Dera’s former head Shah Satnam Singh.

During the Dera chief’s previous parole period also several Haryana BJP leaders were seen seeking his blessings and interacting with him.

While interacting with the Dera chief online, Panwar and Bedi told him that they had come to Sirsa to invite the Dera chief to the February 3 Sant Ravidas Jayanti at Narwana. Krishan Panwar also lauded the Dera chief for the cleanliness drive started by his followers. Haryana Lokhit Party’s leader and Gopal Kanda’s brother Gobind Kanda was also seen interacting with the Dera chief where he is learned to have expressed his wish to see the Dera chief back to Sirsa soon.

Several other BJP MLAs’ kin were also seen interacting with Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh during the five-hour-long online interactive session.

This is the fourth time the Dera chief has got parole in the last 14 months.

Less than three months ago, he had completed another 40-day parole that began on October 25 and returned to the prison on November 25. At that time also he had stayed in Dera’s Ashram at Baghpat.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, murder of a journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and for hatching a conspiracy to kill a former manager of the Dera, Ranjit Singh.

During his earlier parole period last year, the Dera chief had held several online Satsangs and even released a few songs for his followers. Several BJP leaders from Haryana were also seen participating in the online ‘satsangs’ of the Dera chief.

Last year, the Dera chief also came out of prison on a month-long parole in June. He was also released from prison on a three weeks furlough in February, barely two weeks before the Punjab Assembly polls.

As per the prison manual, a convict is entitled to a 90-day parole in one year of his jail term, unless there are specific judicial orders barring it.