Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim gets 21-day furlough

Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the head of Dera Sacha Sauda, who is serving a 20-year sentence for rape and murder in Sunaria jail, Rohtak, has once again come out of jail. He has been granted a 21-day furlough.

Singh walked out of the Sunaria jail in Haryana’s Rohtak on Wednesday morning, sources said.

In January, the 57-year-old Sirsa-headquartered sect chief was granted a 30-day parole.

Singh is serving a 20-year sentence given in 2017 for raping two of his disciples.

According to the Sirsa police sources he left the jail with tight security around 6 am on Wednesday and reached the dera in Sirsa by 9 am. During this furlough, he will stay only at the Sirsa dera and meet his followers.

This time, his release is said to be linked to the Dera’s foundation day celebrations.

Dera Sacha Sauda was founded on April 29, 1948, by Baba Shah Mastana. This year marks its 77th anniversary and Ram Rahim is expected to participate in the event.

After his arrival, security in Sirsa has been increased, especially around the Dera campus. Police checkpoints have been set up and vehicles are being strictly checked.

The Sirsa-headquartered Dera Sacha Sauda has a number of followers in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and other states. In Haryana, the dera has a sizeable number of followers in many districts including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Hisar.