In a case that took most of northern India by storm, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan's verdict last week came as yet another harsh reminder of just how bluntly blind faith can sting. This is not the first case of the kind, and won't certainly be the last. India has a certain reputation of savouring and fostering godmen. Most of them, if not all, are accused of crimes against women, criminal intimidation and even murder.
Gurmeet, despite the endless chaos his supporters created, has been sentenced to 20 years in jail. Sentenced by CBI special court judge Jagdeep Singh, he is also served with a fine of over Rs 30,00,000. The judgment stated, “Both the prosecutrix/victims put the accused/convict on the pedestal of ‘god’ and revered him like that only. However, convict committed breach of gravest nature by sexually assaulting such gullible and blind followers. Such criminal acts of a particular individual/convict, who is heading a religious organisation known as Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa, are bound to shatter the images of pious and sacred spiritual, social, cultural and religious institutions existing in the country since time immemorial, which in turn reflects irreparable damages caused by the acts of the convict to the heritage of this ancient land.”
The judge also took into notice the activities of the rapist sect chief to decide on the degree of compensation for his two female victims. The court also took note of Gurmeet's new-found penchant for making movies. “It is also a matter of record that during the course of trial, convict moved several applications seeking permission to visit abroad for the purpose of promotion of films directed and produced by him. While moving the aforesaid application, accused/convict himself pleaded that millions of rupees were spent/invested in producing such films, for the promotion of which he had sought permission to visit abroad and had visited many times and all these facts clearly establish that convict has no dearth of wealth and is a man possessing huge pelf and has enough financial resources to compensate the victims of his criminal acts.”
“This court is of the considered view that when the convict did not even spare his own pious disciples and had acted like a wild beast, he does not deserve any mercy. In other words, a man who has no concern for humanity, nor has any mercy in his nature, do not deserve leniency from the court.”
It was a tough week for humanity; tougher for justice. The conviction verdict had led to large-scale violence in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, and Sirsa in Haryana by sect followers which left 38 people dead and 264 injured. Police had issued orders to shoot protesters on sight ahead of the conviction as deadly clashes took over Haryana, Punjab, and several parts of Rajasthan.
Police issued orders on Monday to shoot protesters on sight ahead of the sentencing of a self-styled guru whose conviction for rape triggered deadly clashes last week. Authorities imposed curfews in several areas of Haryana and Punjab, while the Capital Delhi remained on alert. Rohtak jail saw utmost security, with roads lined with barbed-wire barricades. The sect's 1,000-acre compound in Sirsa, Haryana, also saw heavy security. The state government resorted to the Army to bring the spiralling violence to a curb.
Godmen in India exist solely due to public support, and Gurmeet's case brings to light the country's unending fascination with self-styled saints who prey on the vulnerable. Ram Rahim capped his sexual assault as “pitaji ki maafi”. Women at his ashram were kept away from one another. No one had access to mobile phones or newspapers. Hundreds of his devotees were forced castration under Singh's instructions. He reportedly drank soup made of the testicles to increase his vigour. Women were emotionally blackmailed to buy their silence, and men were given drugs to make them lose all links with reality.
A Dera Sacha Sauda devotee, who did not wish to be identified for reasons of personal security, said that the “so-called father-daughter relationship” between Gurmeet Ram Rahim and Honeypreet Insan (who was seen with Gurmeet throughout the conviction) is “certainly questionable”.
“Baba has two biological daughters and a son. There is no clarity on why he adopted Honeypreet when he already had two daughters. Baba’s wife lived in a secluded and well-guarded housing unit within the Sirsa ashram,” former devotee Hansraj Chauhan said, claiming that “depending on the wealth possessed by devotees, they would have had to cough up money between Rs 5,000 and Rs 100,000”.
A victim himself, Chauhan was just 19 years old when he was drugged by a compounder with a glass of Pepsi, in 2000. He woke up two days later to find his testicles wrapped in a bundle of bandages. This is the same plight suffered by hundreds of other men. The men were told castration would allow them to get closer to God. The CBI is currently looking into these complaints.
