With Dera Sacha Sauda chief in jail for 20 years+ , speculation over who will succeed him has taken centre-stage in the organisation's Sirsa headquarters and among his followers, said to be in crores. In 2007, when rape charges were framed against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, he had named his son, Jasmeet Singh Insan, as his successor. But that was a decade ago and things are different on Saturday. First, the dera, founded by Shah Mastana Balochistani in 1948, has traditionally never seen succession in a bloodline. Secondly, Jasmeet has two very tough competitors.
Honeypreet Insan, who calls herself ' Papa's angel+ ' and has shadowed him for over 20 years besides being the director-actress in most of his films, is the strongest contender. The influence she holds over the sect's followers is substantial. Besides, she has already been handling dera affairs as a close confidante of its chief. What works against her is that Haryana police on Friday issued a lookout notice and charged her with sedition for her attempt to free the dera head after his conviction on Friday.
Perhaps, the most serious of all contenders is Brahmachari Vipasana, the nambardaar or second-in-command of the dera.