Former probe official supports CBI against Ram Rahim

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, September 24

Former Investigating Officer (IO) of the CBI M Narayanan deposed before the CBI Special Court, Haryana, on Monday in the Ram Chander Chhatrapati murder case and supported the agency’s version.

He had appeared as there was an order in this regard from the apex court in view of Khatta Singh’s statement, which was important evidence regarding criminal conspiracy charge in the murder case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. During the cross examination on Monday, former IO said he had recorded the statement of Khatta Singh, former driver of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, on June 21, 2007. After that, his statement was recorded before magistrate on June 22, 2007, where he had given evidence against Ram Rahim.

“The IO was asked whether he was aware that Khatta Singh had filed an application that the CBI wanted to get recorded his statement forcefully. He replied that Khatta Singh had told him that Dera men had taken his signatures on blank papers,” said CBI counsel HPS Verma. An application in this regard was filed at Ambala court, but it was dismissed and even the revision was dismissed.

Former driver of dera chief Khatta Singh had told the court on May 5 that he was appointed the driver of personal vehicles of the dera head during 1996-97.

On October 23, 2002, Ram Rahim had met Krishan Lal, Nirmal Singh and Kuldeep Singh in his gufa at Sirsa where they showed him the copy of the newspaper Poora Sach that had published the anonymous letter. “I was present there at that time. After going through the contents of the news, Gurmeet Ram Rahim got very angry and directed manager Krishan Lal, Nirmal Singh and Kuldeep Singh that before Ram Chander Chhatrapati (who owned Poora Sach) again publishes any other article or news in his newspaper about him or the activities of the dera, his voice be silenced forever,” Khatta Singh had told the court.

He had added that Krishan Lal then left the gufa and after sometime returned with a walky-talky set and his revolver and handed over these to Nirmal Singh and Kuldeep Singh in Ram Rahim’s presence.

According to his version, he had then left for Delhi on October 24, 2002, and by the evening, he received a call that Chhatrapati was shot at and Kuldeep Singh had been apprehended. Soon after, Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal were also apprehended. Chhatrapati died on November 20, 2002.