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Punjab should again seek custodial interrogation of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim in cases of sacrilege and bomb blast

 




Punjab should again seek custodial interrogation of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

The Haryana government seems to have created record of sort of granting repeated parole to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim Singh  who is in jail following conviction in rape and murder cases. The Dera headquarters is  in located in Sirsa in Haryana.

His name has figured in the cases relating to bomb blast in Maur in Bathinda district in Punjab killing several people close to 2017 Assembly elections and sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari in Faridkot district in 2015. The Bargari narrative started with theft of Guru Granth Sahib on June 1 from a gurdwara in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village adjoining Bargari on June 1, 2015.

Yet another case against him relating to blasphemy registered in 2007 was withdrawn five days before the 2012 Assembly elections when Punjab was being ruled by the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance with Parkash Singh Badal as the chief minister in his fourth term.

Punjab is witnessing sustained agitation for the release of Sikh prisoners who have been in jail for years relating to the period of militant struggle. They have been in jails for periods more than two decades.

It is pertinent to mention here that those who were sentenced in the case of assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi too have been released. The Tamil Nadu government had facilitated their case. They are Sri Lankans.

Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Harcharan Singh Dhami have rightly raised the issue as to in case the Dera chief can be given parole time and again, why not release the Sikh prisoners. But both of them stop at that.

It may be recalled that Punjab had earlier sought custodial interrogation of Gurmeet but was denied the same. One of the issues that was raised in denying custodial access to Punjab was regarding security. Several of the accused in the sacrilege cases have been gunned down overtime.

However, that issue of security can also be raised in the case of grant of repeated parole to him by the Haryana government.

It is not known whether another prisoner in jail in similar cases has been provided similar facility.

The cases of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and the Maur blast are linked to Dera Sacha Sauda. Three of the activists this Dera have been declared proclaimed offenders in these cases.

Punjab had witnessed massive protests and Sikh mobilisation in 2015 against sacrilege.  The state was under Akali Dal-BJP rule. The so-called leaders spearheading what used to be spontaneous protests over the years have repeatedly failed the Sikh masses. These leaders have suffered dent in their credibility. The latent anger is now reflected the electoral domain.

The Akali Dal lost to the Congress in 2017. The Congress had promised action in sacrilege cases but failed. The people threw out this party and backed the Aam Aadmi Party with an unprecedented mandate in 2022. This party too had promised to deliver in these cases. There has been little progress. Party MLA and former police official Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh  who had probed these cases during Congress regime and later resigned is on record stating that there was little hope of getting justice.

It may also be mentioned that not only the blasphemy case against Dera chief was withdrawn in 2012,  he was exonerated by the Sikh clergy too in September 2015 following a meeting of Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh and his associates at the official residence of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. That exoneration was stoutly defended by the SGPC by spending about Rs 90 lakh on ads inserted in newspapers. The clergy had issued edict against him in 2007.

Although his parole has been objected to, these political leaders are not raising the issue of his custodial interrogation.

In case he can be granted parole repeatedly, why not allow his custodial interrogation by Punjab Police? It is for Punjab to ensure his security in case that precisely is the issue.

The cases in which his name has figured should move forward.

And Punjab should again apply for his custodial interrogation.

After all, AAP had promised speedy justice in these cases.

 


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