Chandigarh: The Haryana government’s decision to give the top-scale Z-plus security cover to the murder, rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim has added fuel to the already raging debate over the timing of giving him a 21-day furlough on February 7 ahead of the February 20 assembly polls in neighbouring Punjab.
The Dera head is undergoing life imprisonment in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail since 2017 after a special CBI court at Panchkula convicted him in the cases of rape and murder.
Punjab’s Congress chief minister Charanjit Singh after the poll minced no words in alleging that the Dera had extended support to BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidates in Punjab.
However, the Haryana government in its reply to a plea challenging the furlough sanctioned to the Dera head, on Monday said that in the murder case the Dera head had not executed the killings and that he was convicted for hatching the criminal conspiracy. The state government also held that Dera head was also provided Z plus category security on his release considering the high-level threat to his life from pro-Khalistan elements.
According to official information, the Dera head had applied for parole on January 17 for the treatment of his ailing mother. However, he submitted another application on January 31 for furlough. The state government held in its reply that even though it is admitted that he is a hardcore criminal, he has the right to be released on furlough as he had completed five years in jail.
The ADGP (CID) Haryana had in his report dated February 6 had held that there are reliable inputs regarding the threat to Dera head from the pro-Khalistan elements and had recommended Z plus security cover for him. On February 7, orders came for his furlough for 21-days under heavy security.
However, even as questions were raised over giving the Dera head the top-scale security cover, Congress national media coordinator Radhika Khera took to Twitter to say (in Hindi) when rapists in the country start getting Z-plus security, it is a threatening time for the girls and women.
Though the Dera is based at Sirsa in Haryana, it has a vast influence in the neighbouring Malwa region in Punjab which has 15 districts and 19 reserved seats of the total 69 seats.
While there were talks in hush-hush initially, exactly two days ahead of the February 20 polls, the media was agog with reports that Dera Premis (meaning Dera devotees or followers most of whom are either Dalit or poor) got messages to vote for the BJP-led alliance or Shiromani Akali Dal-BSP combine.
The Malwa region which is undisputedly a stronghold of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and which has recorded 73% voting – which is higher than the Doaba and Majha regions – is likely to see a dent in AAP vote share this time, it is, thus, said.
The Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda has for long tacitly supported different political parties in Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan where it has a huge number of its followers.
