Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on parole: Can Dera Sacha Sauda chief sway polls?

For the third time this year, Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, convicted in rape and murder cases, has been released from jail.

His 40-day parole from Rohtak’s Sunaria jail in Haryana comes ahead of the state panchayat election and the 3 November Adampur bypoll.

As per Indian Express, the Dera chief’s family had sought month-long parole for him and submitted an application to the jail authorities in this regard.

After his release, Ram Rahim went to his dera in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat amid tight police security.

Haryana minister of jail Ranjit Singh said speculations should not be made on the Dera chief’s release as “it is the entitlement of a convict to get parole”, reports Indian Express.

Ram Rahim is currently serving 20-year life imprisonment in the rape case of two of his women disciples.

What has the reaction been to Ram Rahim Singh’s parole? When was he released from jail earlier this year? Why is the Dera Sacha Sauda chief released ahead of elections? Let’s take a closer look.

Congress, SGPC slam release

Senior Congress leader Udit Raj hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the release of Ram Rahim Singh, saying the saffron party should field him in the upcoming election.

Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim was given 40 days parole in view of the bypoll in Adampur. Why doesn’t BJP make Ram Rahim contest the election so that he doesn’t have to take secret votes?”

डेरा प्रमुख गुरमीत राम रहीम को आदमपुर में उपचुनाव को देखते 40 दिन का पैरोल दिया। भाजपा क्यों नही राम रहीम को ही चुनाव लड़ा दे ताकि लुका छुपी वोट लेना ही न पड़े।

— Dr. Udit Raj (@Dr_Uditraj) October 15, 2022

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) also questioned the Dera chief’s release.

SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami alleged in a statement that while ‘special kindness’ is shown to Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Sikhs imprisoned for three decades are not being released despite completing their sentences, news agency PTI reported.

“This…brings the functioning of governments under question. Such tactics for political gains are not in the interest of the country and governments should refrain from hurting Sikh sentiments,” Dhami was quoted as saying by the news agency.

The SGPC has condemned the Dera Sacha Sauda chief release earlier too.

Besides the rape case, Ram Rahim has been found guilty in murder cases as well.

In October last year, the self-styled ‘godman’ and four other accused were convicted by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court for the 2002 murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh.

Ram Rahim and three others were pronounced guilty in 2019 in connection with the murder of Ram Chandra Chhatrapati, editor of the Sirsa-based newspaper Poora Sach.

When Ram Rahim was released this year

Ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections in February this year, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was released on furlough for 21 days.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had dismissed any relation between his release and the Punjab polls. “The convict has been granted furlough as there is a provision for the same in law. There is no connection with the Punjab polls and it is just a coincidence,” he had said, as per Indian Express.

Furlough is granted in long-term imprisonment cases and can be given periodically irrespective of any reason, notes Indian Express.

During his February release, he was accorded Z-plus security cover due to a “high-level threat to his life from pro-Khalistani elements”.

As per Indian Express, he continues to get Z-plus security cover whenever he is released from jail.

In June this year, Ram Rahim was granted parole for a month.

Ram Rahim’s political clout

Most of the Dera chief’s followers are Dalits, but he also enjoys support among Sikhs, Muslims and Christians in Haryana and Punjab, as per India Today.

Moreover, he also has followers in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Although Ram Rahim claims he is ‘apolitical’, the Dera has a political affairs wing to ‘guide followers’ on which candidate to vote for in elections, reports ThePrint.

As per Indian Express, in the 2014 Haryana Assembly election, he had backed the BJP which was also pushed by the nationwide Narendra Modi wave. Notably, the party had come to power with a clear majority in the state.

Many BJP leaders had flocked to Ram Rahim to express gratitude after the results.

Despite Ram Rahim’s conviction in a rape case two years earlier, Khattar had said in 2019 that the BJP will reach out to the Dera Sacha Sauda for its support in the Lok Sabha polls, as per Times of India (TOI).

It’s not only the BJP, but senior leaders of all parties from Haryana, Punjab, UP, Rajasthan and Delhi used to visit the Dera chief to seek his support before he was imprisoned.

In 2007, the Dera had backed Congress but the party failed to win elections in Punjab, reports Indian Express.

The Dera claims it has a large number of followers in Punjab’s Malwa region.

As per ThePrint, the Dera head could sway election results by asking his followers who to vote for and can impact poll results, especially in seats where there was a close contest between candidates.

Ram Rahim’s message for his followers

After his release on 14 October, Ram Rahim Singh released a video asking his followers to “follow the directions of the responsible persons” and not act per their own will.

“Visitations will go on, and so will the interactions. I will share everything with you, but you have to follow what is being told. I know that I do not need to repeat it. You always follow. You have to act as per the directions of the responsible persons and not as per your own will,” he was quoted as saying by The Tribune.

While the Dera management has maintained that the message was intended to ask followers not to rush to the Barnawa ashram in UP to meet Ram Rahim, some see a political motive behind the video.

“The release of the Dera head ahead of the panchayat election and the Adampur bypoll implies naked opportunism of the ruling party in Haryana. The move is an insult to the family of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, for whose murder the Dera head was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment,” Pawan Kumar Bansal, political commentator-cum-author, told The Tribune.

With inputs from agencies

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