He was master of the sprawling Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters at Sirsa till past August 28. But, now incarcerated, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will spend his time in jail growing vegetables, pruning trees — eight hours a day just for Rs 20.
The 50-year-old self-styled godman, who boasted of millions of followers, is lodged in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail for raping his two disciples.
A special CBI court had sentenced him to 20 years in jail, 10 years each in two rape cases, on August 28. And the ‘pita-ji’, as his followers used to call him reverently, was stamped as prisoner number 1997.
Adjoining his barrack, there is a small plot of land where he will grow vegetables, KP Singh, DGP (jails), Haryana, told reporters on Tuesdaytoady in Panchkula.
“He has already taken up his work.” Whatever he produces will be used in the jail mess. Born in the Sri Gurusar Modia village in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district on August 15, 1967, Ram Rahim used to help his landlord father in farms during his early years.
“In jail, he will also prune trees adjoining his barrack. He will get Rs 20 per day for farming work, which falls under the unskilled work category,” the DGP (jails) said.
Normally, eight hours is maximum a prisoner is allowed to do, he said.
He described the high-profile inmate as a “disciplined prisoner” as he dismissed reports that Ram Rahim was being extended any special treatment.
“It is (a) baseless and imaginary (report). No prisoner in jail is given any special treatment and that includes Ram Rahim,” he said, adding there is no TV set in his cell.
“He is living in jail like any other ordinary inmate and he is living like a disciplined inmate. He is being provided the same food as given to other prisoners.”
Asked for his response over reports which quoted some inmates, who have come out of the Sunaria prison, to claim that Ram Rahim is uncomfortable and breaks down in jail, the DGP said, “This is baseless”.
“He (Ram Rahim) does not have common contact with other prisoners. Access to his barrack is controlled (for security reasons),” he said.
Media reports about his health and other activities are also without any basis, said the jail officer. Singh said Ram Rahim has provided two telephone numbers to prison authorities — one of which is of his adopted daughter Honeypreet, and the other his own number he left behind at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa.
But, he has not made any special request to talk to Honeypreet and media reports suggesting this are “wrong”, the officer said.