Elections and Sirsa dera chief’s furlough pattern
Bhartesh Singh Thakur
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 13
The release of the rape and murder convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on a 21-day furlough is likely to impact prospects of parties in the Haryana Assembly elections that are due in October. The dera’s alignment with the BJP in closely contested constituencies, particularly in Sirsa, Fatehabad, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, and Hisar, is worrisome for the opposition parties, especially the Congress, due to Dalit votes.
May tilt balance
Dera Sacha Sauda’s alignment with the BJP in closely contested constituencies, particularly in Sirsa, Fatehabad, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, and Hisar, is worrisome for the opposition parties, especially the Congress, due to Dalit votes
No impact
This is their (BJP) mentality to get votes. They can do anything to get a mandate, but people have understood their game. His release is not going to impact the poll. — Udai Bhan, State Congress Chief
Gurmeet Ram Rahim has frequently been granted furlough or parole around the elections in Haryana or neighbouring states. He was released on a 21-day furlough on February 7, 2022, just before the Punjab Assembly poll on February 14.
Haryana then introduced the ‘Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022,’ which came into effect on April 11, 2022. Under this Act, Ram Rahim was granted a 30-day parole from June 17, 2022, near the local body elections in Haryana. He was again released on a 40-day parole from October 15, 2022, before the Adampur byelection. His parole ended on November 25, 2022, while Himachal Pradesh, where he also had influence, voted on November 12, 2022, for the state Assembly elections. In 2022, he spent 91 days out of jail.
He was granted a 40-day parole starting January 21, 2023, and a 30-day parole from July 20, 2023, near the panchayat polls in Haryana. He was also granted a 21-day furlough from November 21, 2023, ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly polls, as the dera influences districts adjoining Sirsa. He spent another 91 days out of jail in 2023.
On January 19 this year, he was granted a 50-day parole until March 10; the Lok Sabha poll schedule was announced on March 16. Regarding the current release, State congress president Udai Bhan said, “This is their (BJP) mentality to get votes. They can do anything to get a mandate, but people have understood their game. The release is not going to impact the polls.”
Another Congress leader, speaking anonymously, said, “The BJP’s plan is out in the open. It will likely ask Dera Sacha Sauda to influence followers as it has in previous elections. It might impact our chances but not significantly.”
The high court had on August 9 this year ruled that if the dera chief made an application for temporary release the same shall be considered strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Act of 2022 (Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act), without “the competent authority indulging in arbitrariness or favouritism or discrimination”.
