Rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim given 1-month parole; to stay in UP ashram during term
Gurmeet Ram Rahim was previously granted a 21-day furlough in February, a move that raised eyebrows given that it occurred in the run-up to the Punjab polls.
- India News
- 2 min read
Convicted rapist and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim was granted one-month parole on Friday. The convict was released from Haryana's Rohtak jail at 7 AM amid heavy security. He will be staying in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat ashram during the parole period.
Previously, Gurmeet Ram Rahim had been given two one-day paroles in 2020 and 2021 for tending to his 'unwell' mother. This year, he was granted a 21-day furlough in February, a move that raised eyebrows given that it occurred in the run-up to the 2022 Punjab Elections.
Then-Congress Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi had claimed that Ram Rahim was extending support to BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidates throughout the state, however, results or the weight of his 'clout' proved otherwise with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sweeping the mandate.
Conviction in multiple cases
In August 2017, Gurmeet Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years in jail for raping two women. Subsequently, over 35 people lost their lives and several were injured in the violence that ensued following his conviction. Thousands of his followers went on a rampage, setting fire to vehicles, buildings and railway stations. The protest started in Haryana's Panchkula and spread like fire across other parts of the state, along with Punjab and Delhi.
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In a separate case, he and three other associates were sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2019 for their involvement in the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago. The latter was killed in Sirsa, Haryana after his newspaper published an anonymous letter alleging sexual exploitation of women by the self-styled godman at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters. In October 2021, he was also sentenced to life imprisonment in the case pertaining to the murder of his former manager Ranjit Singh.
Ram Rahim is also said to be involved in the 2015 sacrilege case. The Dera chief was accused of theft of a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara after torn pages from the holy book were found at Bargari. Amid an alleged threat from 'pro-Khalistan activists', the Haryana Government had provided Z-plus level security protection to him.