Dera head to virtually address satsang today

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 28

Out on 40-day parole, Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim will virtually participate in a religious congregation at its Salabatpura dera here on Sunday.

The dera’s Punjab headquarter is at Salabatpura and it is the second largest dera after the one at Sirsa in Haryana.

Dera followers have started preparations for the event. Ram Rahim will address his followers virtually from the dera’s ashram at Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh.

Dera Sacha Sauda sources said on Shah Satnam’s birthday celebrations in Sirsa on January 25, members from other states had complained that they were stopped from coming by the management in order to prevent overcrowding. When Ram Rahim asked the management about the issue, he was told that they were stopped due to lack of space.

On this, Ram Rahim told followers from Punjab and Rajasthan that he would soon hold an online satsang.

Security has been intensified for the event at the Salabatpura dera.

Bathinda SSP J Elanchezhian visited the dera on Saturday evening to review security arrangements and held a meeting with the organisers.

The SSP said, “Everything is under control and both the police and dera functionaries are working to ensure foolproof security during the event.”

Dera committee member Harcharan Singh said, “We are celebrating our second chief Shah Satnam Singh’s birth anniversary month and the dera head will hold a satsang on Sunday.”

However, the dera chief has come under fire for grant of frequent parole to him.

Demanding the release of Sikh prisoners, political parties and SGPC have opposed grant of repeated parole to Ram Rahim. The SGPC said if Ram Rahim could get parole, then why were Sikh prisoners not being given same relief.