Until only August 25, rape accused Gurmeet Singh wielded enormous power. He was so brazenly audacious that he came in a 250-vehicle motorcade to hear the verdict of the CBI court. The Haryana Government was in awe of him and provided him with a ‘Z plus’ category security cover consisting of 36 military, paramilitary and police personnel. The motorcade kept swelling on the way to nearly 500 private vehicles containing mad followers and goons with guns.
Gurmeet was an errand-running tractor driver before becoming a godman. The successive Haryana Governments had ensured that the godman in clown’s attire got the most dignified treatment as they believed their vote banks would collapse without his support. The Khattar administration has remained especially servile to the crook for saving the vote bank only. BJP leaders had openly taken the criminal’s help to get victory in the last elections. BJP biggies merrily doled out loads of cash to keep the rapist Baba happy.
Most people had lost track of the 15-year-old CBI case as they believed no witness would show up to speak against the criminal because he was so powerful. But the two girl complainants were determined to fight till finish. They had first conveyed to Atal Behari Vajpayee the terrible truths about the Dera Baba. The matter soon spilled out and the High Court took suo motu cognisance and directed the CBI to investigate lest the local Crime Branch would do a filthy job to cover up the crime under pressure from corrupt politicians. Never once did the victim girls yield to threats or enticements which came in plenty. The CBI judge too did a most marvelous job. Just until the verdict of conviction was read out, the rapist and his followers were heard boasting about how they would bring the Government on its knees should the verdict go against him. All hell broke loose the moment Judge Deepak Singh convicted the crook. The rampage and violent riot that the devotees of the criminal resorted to are now part of fresh history. Thirty-two rioting devotees were killed. The situation turned so uncontrollable that armed forces were deployed on an SOS basis. Even after all this, the former ‘driver’ was taken to jail by a luxury helicopter by the State police accompanied by a concubine introduced as an adopted daughter who was a virtual shadow of him. Shockingly, the Haryana Additional Advocate General carried Gurmeet’s baggage like a coolie.
Three days later, the quantum of punishment was read out right in the prison premises. By now, the imposter’s arrogance had vanished completely after experiencing the power of the judiciary. When the 20-year rigorous imprisonment was read out, he broke down and dropped on knees to plead for mercy, weeping. The thunderous threats of ‘dire consequences’ were no more heard. The Baba is now sleeping on the jail floor and eating chapatti and pickles from the jail kitchen. No one knows where the young concubine has landed.
Gurmeet grabbed the Dera throne at 23 and soon began enjoying life like a depraved Arab Shaikh. Believably, he duped nearly 100 million people across the living planet into believing he is a miracle agent of God. Countless young daughters, wives and sisters of trusting devotees were deceived and raped in a luxury cave, into which only the closest people had access. The concubine in question is only a devotee’s young wife called Honeypreet Kaur. Surprisingly, some women told CBI sleuths that they were not raped; Baba only cleansed their bodies of sins and blemishes.
Gurmeet is also accused of murdering Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chatrapati, who had written about his illegal activities.
The crook is married and has two grownup daughters and a son, all engaged in the Dera activities and enjoying a royal life.
The Baba is a singer, a dancer and a moviemaker. The concubine played female leads and director of his movies. The Baba projected himself as superman, batsman, spiderman and shaktiman rolled into one in all his movies.
Gurmeet’s father Maghar Singh had come in touch with the Dera Sacha Sauda pretty early in life. Baba Balochistani Beparwah Mastanahad founded the Dera. Backward and dalit communities thronged there only because Sikhism promised equality of status. Gurmeet accompanied his father to do some service at the Dera. He was not any closer than that. Gurmeet's friend Gurjant Singh was jailed for some ‘revenge murder’. He was radicalised by Khalistani militants in jail. Once out, Gurjant chose to become a Khalistani terrorist and rose quickly in the ranks. Gurmeet around this time was a fulltime Dera inmate, doing odd jobs, driving a tractor or assisting his father in rendering routine services. Unexpectedly, Dera head Shah Satnam announced retirement and chose Gurmeet as successor from among three other contenders. No one knows why Satnam all on a sudden anointed Gurmeet and gave him the name Huzoor Maharaj Gurmeet Ram Rahim. People in Sirsa say dreaded criminal Gurjant had pulled a gun to Satnam’s head to have friend Gurmeet chosen as successor. Even though there is no evidence, Gurmeet's rise is attributed to Gurjant's notoriety. Gurmeet took over the Dera Sacha Sauda, a socio-spiritual organisation, from September 23, 1990. Gurjant Singh was later killed by security forces in Mohali.
There are nearly 10 million mad followers of Gurmeet in three contiguous States who would do anything for him. He lost no opportunity in taking advantage of the incredible fan following and the resultant millions of rupees that came flowing his way. The imposter is a skilled actor–singer who became sure that he could successfully get into any profit activity with the fans playing his brand ambassadors. Hence, the MSG trade name was coined by using the names of the three Dera chiefs, M for Shah Mastana, S for Shah Satnam, and G for Gurmeet. The 'MSG' range of products are touted as completely indigenous and organic to attract attention of consciousness buyers. The business is looked after by the dreaded criminal’s children.
Gurmeet is married to Harjeet Kaur and has daughters Charanpreet and Amarpreet and son Jasmeet Singh. He is said to be playing a number of games including volleyball, kabaddi, lawn tennis, cricket, football, billiards, table tennis, snooker, basketball, water polo and more. He has received an honourary doctorate from the UK-based World Records University. He has 53 world records in various categories, out of which 17 are Guinness records, 27 Asia Book records, seven India Book records and two limca records. Basically, his personality is an all-round one, which the university considered. In the five years of India operations, the university has awarded around 100 Indians. Gurmeet has written, produced, directed and acted in three movies. He has also been honoured with most popular actor, director, writer awards by the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation. He kept claiming to have studied MBBS which he abandoned halfway to pursue ‘nobler’ things in life. But the core truth is that he is only a 10th class dropout.
Gurmeet has earned the ire of Sikh radicals who accuse him of allegedly dressing up as Guru Gobind Singh and putting Punjab in turmoil for quite some time in the past.
Some say, wrongly though, Gurmeet has committed more heinous crimes than Kasab, who had killed innocent people in Mumbai in a terror attack. Despite the anarchy, riot and mayhem in Haryana emanating from his heinous crimes, BJP leaders have not yet felt any remorse over the matter one bit. They are still crying hoarse in support of the lecher, saying the previous Congress regime was equally bad. Several women too did not feel shame to defend him at television talk shows, saying he was a prominent social worker. Amit Shah or Modi has not once asked Khattar to step down in the wake of a huge controversy relating to Khattar’s express support to the lecher.
lastly, the country of India is heaving a sigh of relief that the judiciary is so perfectly functional. The country will remain safe from the danger of politician-criminal nexus, for sure. A couple of salutes to the two young girls and the bravest judge on record Jagdeep Singh, who gave a tongue-lashing to the rapist, saying, “ Hedid not even spare his own pious disciples who trusted him blindly, and had acted like a wild beast. Ram Rahim’s deeds have caused irreparable damages to the heritage of this ancient land.”
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)
