Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s driver was crucial in proving murder conspiracy: CBI

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 8

Prosecution Witness 31, Khatta Singh, was the star witness of the CBI. He was an eyewitness to the criminal conspiracy about the murder of a dera follower.

Khatta Singh became a dera follower in 1970. He became very close to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and was made the driver of the bus in which the former used to travel. He used to take him to different places for religious congregations.

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He knew the victim for 8-9 years as he was a member of the 10-member dera panel.

During his statement recorded before a magistrate on June 22, 2007, he told the court that he came to know from some members of the management that Ram Rahim had sexually exploited the sister of the victim. For that reason, he left the dera.

He added that in May 2002, an anonymous letter with allegations about the sexual exploitation of ‘sadhvis’ by Ram Rahim was published in some newspapers.

On the direction of Ram Rahim, dera managers Krishan Lal, Inder Sain and dera management member Avtar Singh started searching for the distributor of the letter. During this period, some dera followers also threatened the newspaper editors, and many people were beaten up.

They were suspecting that the victim was the person behind the printing and distribution of the letter.

Talking about the incident of June 16, 2002, he claimed that he had seen Avtar Singh, Inder Sain, Krishan Lal and one Darshan Singh encircling the victim and pressurising him to beg pardon from Ram Rahim. When he did not agree to apologise, they warned him to be ready to die.

The same day, Ram Rahim called a meeting in his ‘gufa’ where Jasbir and Sabdil were present. Khatta Singh was also present there.

He told the court that when they told dera chief about the behaviour of the victim, he got angry and directed them that before he could raise his voice further, they should kill him by going to his field.

Khatta Singh came to know that the victim was murdered on July 10, 2002. The same evening, he saw Jasbir Singh, Sabdil Singh and Krishan Lal celebrating at Kashish Hotel, which is situated opposite the new dera in Sirsa. He deposed that while these persons were celebrating, they were heard saying that they had killed a “traitor”.

However, during the trial, he resiled from the statement. But on May 8, 2018, he appeared again before the court and told that he was under tremendous pressure by the dera people and Ram Rahim on account of threats given to him and now, he wanted to depose the true facts.

“This witness is the eyewitness of both the incidents dated June 16, 2002 and is, fortunately, the direct evidence with the prosecuting agency regarding the hatching of the conspiracy by

the accused about the murder of the victim,” submitted CBI Special Public Prosecutor HPS Verma.

Earlier, his statement in the Ram Chander Chhatrapati murder case had led to the conviction of Ram Rahim on January 11, 2019.

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