Ram Rahim released on 30-day parole ahead of Delhi elections
Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape and murder convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim was released on parole from the Sunaria jail in Rohtak district this morning.
Editorial: Ram Rahim’s parole
The dera head is undergoing 20-year imprisonment in connection with the rape of two of his disciples. He has also been convicted and sentenced for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
According to official sources, he has been released on a 30-day parole and left the jail around 6.45 am today. He is slated to stay at the Sirsa ashram for the first 10 days and at the Barnawa ashram in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh for the remaining 20 days. This is for the first time since the dera chief’s arrest that he has been allowed to visit the Sirsa ashram, which houses the dera headquarters, during the parole period.
The grant of parole to the dera head is also being linked to the upcoming elections to the Delhi Assembly as well as the municipal elections in Haryana. Several times in the past as well, he has been released around the elections in Haryana as well as the neighbouring states where the dera has a considerable influence.
“Granting parole to the head of a dera having influence on voters is obviously driven by political considerations. A number of followers revere the dera chief despite his sentencing in cases of heinous crimes like rape and murder. Moreover, releasing him ahead of the elections cannot always be coincidental,” said Prof Jagbir Narwal.
