Dera ashram in Palampur wears a deserted look

Our Correspondent

Palampur, August 27

The Dera Sacha Sauda ashram situated near Palampur gives a deserted look after Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s conviction.

A Tribune team, which visited the ashram this afternoon, found that most of the followers had left the place fearing action after intelligence was stepped up near the dera. Police in plain clothes have been monitoring the activities at the dear.

Superintendent of Police Ramesh Chajta said that there was no law and order threat in the area and the situation was peaceful. However, the police are not taking any chance. The dera was built in 1992 and is spread over 200 kanals of prime land in Nagri area of Palampur. Gurmit Ram Rahim visited the dera thrice a year to address his followers.

However, controversy surrounds the land over which the dera has been built.

The District Magistrate, Kangra, had declared the property as benami in 1991 and ordered it to be vested with the state government. It was found that the dera had violated Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act, 1968, while purchasing the land. The order was upheld by the district revenue court in April, 2010. The case is still pending in the higher revenue court.

However, till date the state government has not taken over possession of the property for political reasons.