Murder victim Ranjit Singh''s family hails jail term to Ram Rahim

Vishal Joshi

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Tribune News Service

Khanpur Kolian (Kurukshetra), August 28

Pronouncement of 20 years of rigorous imprisonment to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh led to an atmosphere of jubilation at the residence of late Ranjit Singh.

The family hopes that more victims of the politically powerful Ram Rahim would now muster the courage to expose his atrocities before the police and the court.

An affluent farmer, Ranjit was a former manager of the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda.

Ranjit was shot dead allegedly at the behest of Ram Rahim here in 2002.

Ram Rahim is an accused in the case and the CBI court in Panchkula has fixed September 16 for the final hearing of arguments.

As The Tribune team visited the family at their residence this afternoon, a group of close family members and relatives were sitting on the verandah.

They were regularly getting case updates but were not following it on the TV.

Apprehending any adverse reaction by the men of Ram Rahim, they remain seated in a large group.

The family has also been provided police personnel.

“News of 20-year jail term to Ram Rahim has brought a relief to the family who has been fighting a legal battle for the last 16 years.

“The way political regimes created hurdles in the Ranjit murder case since 2002, we had started believing that the baba was able to manipulate any establishment. But an intense probe by CBI officials and court verdict has reinstated our faith in the system,” said Ranjit’s brother-in-law Surat Malik.

A close relative, Milkhi Ram, said the verdict proved that Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati’s expose’ of the dera head was based on facts.

Unfortunately, there were numerous people who had caste doubts over Chattrapati’s reporting of organised sexual abuse of ‘sadhvis’ by Ram Rahim, he added.

“The verdict has reinstated faith of a common man in the judicial system. This case confirmed that upright persons complete their professional tasks without succumbing to the extraneous pressures,” he said.

It is claimed that the dera chief had a suspicion on Ranjit of being the person behind an anonymous complaint of sexual abuse of ‘sadhvis’.

That letter led to a CBI probe against Ram Rahim and was instrumental in his conviction.

Based on that piece of communication to then Prime Minister AB Vajpayee and judicial establishments, the CBI traced former women followers who were subjected to sexual abuse by Ram Rahim at his palatial ashram.