New Delhi: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who has been convicted in rape and murder cases, was on Friday (June 17) granted parole for a month by the BJP-led Haryana government, reported ANI. Earlier in February, Singh had got three weeks’ leave. In parole, a prisoner is released either temporarily for a specific purpose or in full, on the promise of good behaviour, before the expiration of the sentence, whereas furlough is the short-term temporary release of convicts from prison. Notably, according to IANS, Singh has been granted parole for the first time since his conviction. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has a large number of followers in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. He has been released from Sunaria jail in Haryana four times for various reasons including visiting his ailing mother.
An official defended the decision to grant one month parole to the Dera chief, saying it was being done as per the jail manual. According to IANS, Singh will be staying at Barnawa in Baghpat during the parole.
It was earlier provided to the Dera chief ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections in February. Z-plus security cover during their leave This was due to a “perception of high threat” to his life from “pro-Khalistan” groups, an official said.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is serving a 20-year jail term for the rape of two of his female disciples. He was convicted by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Panchkula in August 2017 and has been in Haryana’s Sunaria jail since then.
In October last year, a special CBI in Panchkula had convicted the self-styled godman and four other accused. Former Dera manager Ranjit Singh murdered,
In 2019, the Dera Sacha Sauda chief and three others were convicted in the murder case of journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati. Chhatrapati had published an anonymous letter by Ram Rahim Singh about the sexual abuse of women in his ashram.
(with agency input)