A week after self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to 20 years jail in two rape cases by Panchkula CBI court, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday allowed the Haryana Government to conduct a search operation in Dera Sacha Sauda’s Sirsa headquarters.
The High Court has appointed retired sessions judge Anil KS Pawar as court commissioner to oversee the sanitisation process of Dera Sacha Sauda premises at Sirsa.
The process of sanitisation will be taken up immediately and will be videographed. A report of the whole process will be submitted to the High Court by the court commissioner, with a copy to be given to the State Government.
The court has also directed to constitute a special team and involve officials of revenue, taxation besides police and other security forces for conducting the sanitisation process.
The order came after the Manohar lal Khattar Government filed a plea in HC seeking permission to hold sanitisation process at the Dera headquarter in Sirsa under “judicial supervision”.
Rape convict dera sect chief Gumeet Ram Rahim had led a life of extravagance and grandeur at his over 800-acre Sirsa dera headquarter, which is a township in itself, with schools, sports village, hospital, meditation centre, housing complex and cinema hall.
“The High Court bench has appointed retired sessions judge AKS Pawar as Court Commissioner for the sanitisation of the Dera headquarters at Sirsa,” said Haryana’s Advocate General Baldev Raj Mahajan while talking to the mediapersons.
Asked how soon the process would start, Mahajan said that the government will request the Court Commissioner to take it up immediately. The State Government will provide adequate security to ensure that the sanitisation process is carried out smoothly, said he.
He added that in the sanitisation process, officials of revenue and taxation department would participate, besides police and other security forces.
Army, paramilitary forces and state police are already deployed in Sirsa to maintain law and order situation after Ram Rahim’s conviction.
The High Court had earlier taken up a PIl filed by Ravinder Dhull, a Panchkula resident, who had raised concerns over the law and order situation and stated that over 1.5 lakh people had reportedly entered the district earlier despite prohibitory orders.
The HC had last week also directed that Haryana and Punjab to set up special investigation teams to be headed by an officer not below the rank of an ADGP to investigate all the FIRs registered at various places in connection with the Dera violence issue.
A day before, Chief Minister Manohar lal had said that some “objectionable” items were found during the sanitisation of ‘namcharcha ghars’ (congregation centres of Dera Sacha Sauda) in the state.
The Chief Minister had also said that the High Court is monitoring the Dera issue and the sanitisation process of the sect’s headquarters at Sirsa will be conducted only after the court takes up its application and gives necessary direction in this regard. He had stated that the forces cannot enter on their own without the court directions.
As many as 117 Namcharcha Ghars, associated with the Dera, have been sanitised in the state, he had said in Rewari.
During sanitization of 117 dera’s naamcharcha ghars in the state, big knifes, swords, sticks, iron rods, bottles of diesel, petrol and kerosene, grass cutter swords, axes, scissors, khurpas, lathis, video systems, anti sabotage kits, michi sprays, michi powder, sariyas among other things were recovered by Haryana Police.
Apart from this, a total of 33 licensed arms including single barrel, double barrel guns and 9 mm pistols have been deposited by Dera followers on Monday at Sirsa. According to the police officials, there are 67 licensed weapons in the name of Dera Sacha Sauda and the Dera administration had been asked to inform the Police about the remaining 34 weapons otherwise action would be taken against them.
The BJP led Haryana Government had attracted severe criticism for mishandling of the dera violence issue and allowing a huge build up of Dera Sacha Sauda followers in Panchkula.
After the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief on August 25, violence had broken out in Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving atleast 40 dead and more than 260 injured. 34 persons had died in Panchkula while six in Sirsa.
Khattar, however, in his defense had said that the violence could have turned much worse had the government not been alert.
A special CBI court in Panchkula had sentenced the Dera chief to 20-year imprisonment in a rape case on August 28. 50-year-old Ram Rahim Singh is lodged in the Sunaria jail in Rohtak district, where a thick blanket of security has been thrown around.
HARYANA POlICE INQUIRE AlONG INDO-NEPAl BORDER TO FIND HONEYPREET
Haryana Police went to Gaurifanta border in Kheri (UP) in search of Honeypreet Insaan, the adopted daughter of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, as she is suspected to have left for Nepal through the porous border.
The Haryana Police had shared some information with the Gaurifanta Police and inquired about her suspected movement towards the neighbouring country through the porous India-Nepal border.
However, when no clue about Honeypreet’s departure for Nepal could be gathered, the Haryana Police returned, said a police official. The official said that an unclaimed vehicle bearing the registration number of Punjab was seized from the border and a probe is on to ascertain its ownership and its connection with Honeypreet.
Honeypreet had accompanied the Dera head when he was brought to the special CBI court in Panchkula for the pronouncement of the verdict in 15-year-old rape case on August 25. She had also travelled along with him in a special chopper which ferried them to Rohtak Jail from Panchkula after the conviction.
The police had issued a lookout notice against Honeypreet , who is said to be involved in the conspiracy of escaping Baba from the court.
DERA WIll COOPERATE WITH STATE AUTHORITIES: VIPASSANA INSAN
Dera Sacha Sauda chairperson Vipassana Insan while talking to the mediapersons said that the dera administration will cooperate with the state authorities for search operation in our premises.
There is nothing hidden inside the Dera at Sirsa, she said. Responding on the lookout notice against Honeypreet and dera spokesperson Aditya Insan, the Dera chairperson said that both should cooperate in the investigations.
Vipassana reiterated that Dera will continue its work for social welfare of people.
She also maintained that no one will replace Ram Rahim as Dera head and he will continue to lead the sect.