It looked like the end of the road for the Dera Sacha Sauda, a religious cult, when its controversial head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted in three cases. A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in 2017 handed him a 20-year sentence rape, and he was awarded life terms in January 2019 and October 2021 for two murders.
The dwindling numbers, both in terms of followers and offerings, and the closure of its commercial establishments and manufacturing units brought the cult’s operations to a halt and strained its finances. An air of despondency descended on the“premis”, as the Dera’s followers are called. Many deserted the sect after the 2017 violence in Haryana and Punjab after the police crackdown following Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s conviction.
The Dera’s assets and bank accounts were scanned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and income tax authorities. A status report filed by ED before the Punjab and Haryana high court in 2018 sought an investigation of some of its land deals by the specialised wing of the income tax department under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016.
Another status report filed before the court by income tax officials said the names of Gurmeet Ram Rahim and his daughter, Charanpreet Kaur, had surfaced in the incorporation documents of overseas entities. “Investigations are being carried out and summons have been issued to Charanpreet. A reference has also been made to the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units for ascertaining the ownership of overseas properties of the Dera,” they said. Egmont Group is an international body that facilitates cooperation between the financial intelligence units of member countries.
More the merrier
Recent developments, however, suggest that the Sirsa-based sect is on the path to revival, with a helping hand from politicians in Haryana, including many from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Dera stepped up its activities after its incarcerated chief was granted a 40-day parole on January 20. Though Gurmeet Ram Rahim remained confined at the cult’s ashram in Barnawa in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, and is barred from moving out, he has been connecting with followers across the country and abroad through online sessions, often linking at least 40 locations simultaneously.
The Dera has organised large-scale cleanliness drives in Haryana and Rajasthan with Gurmeet Ram Rahim leading the way, virtually.
“The revival is being facilitated with the active connivance of the Haryana government. There is a tacit understanding between the Dera and the state government. The government wants crowds to return to him as his followers can influence the 2024 elections. It cuts both ways. The more the merrier for both the Dera and the state government,” said Anshul Chhatrapati, the son of deceased journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. The Dera head and three others were sentenced to life by a CBI court in 2019 for Ram Chander Chhatrapati’s murder.
Parole his right: Govt
Haryana government officials say parole is the right of every convict and deny any preferential treatment to the cult’s chief. “There are high court directives where the divisional commissioner’s orders denying parole to a convict without justification have been quashed,’’ says an official, requesting anonymity.
Quoting a January 18 order of the Punjab & Haryana high court, the official said that divisional commissioners have been asked by the court to ensure “whenever they pass orders and the rejection is on the ground that the security of the state or nation is under threat, at least the background is checked that whether the petitioner has availed parole and returned on time”.
Chhatrapati says that conditions prohibiting the Dera head from attending religious or political events, public meetings, both in person and online, were imposed on the Dera head when he was granted three weeks furlough in February last year. “Why are those conditions not applicable now?” he asked. “Parole should be denied to the Dera head as he is a habitual offender, serving multiple sentences.”
State advocate general BR Mahajan argued that under the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, Gurmeet Ram Rahim does not fall in the category of hardcore prisoners and is entitled for temporary release.
All for a following
Barely 48 hours after the Dera head stepped out of Rohtak’s Sunaria jail after being granted parole on January 20, two senior BJP leaders – Rajya Sabha MP Krishan Lal Panwar and former minister Krishen Bedi – were seen attending a virtual satsang addressed by him, and interacting with him. Though the two denied any political motive, the opposition Congress criticised their action as a “vote-catching ploy”. Last year, Haryana BJP leaders, including Karnal mayor Renu Gupta, attended an online congregation addressed by the Dera head, setting off criticism.
So, what makes politicians queue up before a convict with a following? Professor Ashutosh Kumar, a political scientist from Panjab University, Chandigarh, said they do this only when they are convinced that someone is relevant or of use to them. “The Dera head will be relevant in elections because of the following the sect commands,” Kumar said.
“The Dera head will be relevant in elections because of the following the sect commands. It still has a core following. The numbers may have dwindled but a dedicated following remains. It’s easier to bow before one man and get a chunk of votes than reach out to individual voters. A few thousand votes can make a difference in an assembly election,” said an official who did not want to be identified, and has seen Dera’s functioning closely.
Back in the fold
It helps that the Dera has always portrayed itself as a reformist organisation. “Social inequality and discrimination are reflected in prejudices. If a sect vows to overcome these inequalities, it instantly appeals to lower castes. Dera leaders project themselves as social reformers and undertake charitable work to earn goodwill. Impressed, the poor become followers,’’ Kumar added.
The Dera’s stance against liquor and drug abuse, for instance, resonated well with women followers.
Rameshwar, a Dera follower from Khanpur Kolian in Kurukshetra, from where former sect manager Ranjit Singh for whose murder Gurmeet Ram Rahim was sentenced to life hailed, said he is still unconvinced about his leader’s guilt. His wife, Sushila, believes the Dera chief is a manifestation of the divine. “Whether he is in prison or outside, his influence remains intact.”
Hemraj of Kotli village in Sirsa, who joined the sect 22 years ago is a premi sewak who organises prayer sessions at the village prayer hall. “Government pressure and fear of getting implicated in police cases led to desertions after 2017. However, many followers are back. They know these are false allegations.”
Raja Ram of Arniawali village in Sirsa joined the cult three decades ago. He said it was only due to the Dera’s teachings that he and his children steered clear of bad habits. “We are solidly with our Dera chief.”
So, it would seem, are Haryana politicians.