Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh
Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has sought parole of 42 days for farming in fields in his sects headquarters in Haryana's Sirsa town, officials said on Sunday.
Ram Rahim is serving a life term imprisonment in the murder case of a journalist and a 20-year sentence for the rape of two female followers. The 51-year-old is currently lodged at Sunaria jail in Rohtak.
"We are awaiting a reply from central security and intelligence agencies and also from the Sirsa District Magistrate that whether his parole at this point in time is feasible or not," a government official told IANS, requesting anonymity.
The official said his parole could create law and order problem in the state at the time of his release and surrender later.
According to reports, after recieving the letter, Sirsa Police has approached the Revenue Department to ascertain how much land the Dera chief owns.
“We have asked the Revenue Department to provide record as to how much land is in his name. The details are awaited,” Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sirsa, Rajesh Kumar told PTI over phone.
In August 2017, The self-styled godman was sentenced for 20 years in jail for raping two women.
A special CBI court in Panchkula this January also sentenced him and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago.
The 51-year-old is currently lodged at the high-security Sunaria jail in Rohtak. In the jail too, Ram Rahim spends most of his time growing vegetables and fruits and daily earns Rs 20 for eight hours for farming, which comes under the unskilled work category.
As per the jail superintendent, Ram Rahim's conduct in the jail is like a "disciplined inmate". His conviction on August 25, 2017, had led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa, leaving 41 people dead and over 260 injured.
Ram Rahim was patronized by political leaders and parties of Punjab and Haryana for nearly two decades due to his ability to shift votes of his followers.
