Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim brought back to Sunaria jail in Rohtak

PTI

Chandigarh, February 28

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday brought back to Rohtak’s Sunaria jail after his three-week furlough ended.

The sect chief is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two women disciples at his ashram in Sirsa, where the 'dera' is headquartered. He was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in August 2017.

A Rohtak police official said the dera chief was brought from Gurugram to Sunaria jail in Rohtak district before noon under heavy security cover.

He was granted the three-week furlough on February 7 for meeting his family in Gurugram.

According to officials, the dera chief was provided Z-plus category security cover during his 21-day furlough considering the “high-level threat” to his life from "pro-Khalistan" elements.

He was released after the Haryana government concluded that he did not fall in the category of hardcore prisoners.

The furlough had come just days ahead of the Assembly polls in Punjab, where the sect has a large number of followers, particularly in Bathinda, Sangrur, Patiala and Muktsar.

On February 7, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had rejected any link between the sect leader’s release from Sunaria jail in Rohtak district and the Punjab elections on February 20.

“I think it is a coincidence and has no connection with the polls,” he had said.

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