Just recently, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has acquitted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2002 murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. The verdict overturns a 2019 CBI court judgment that had sentenced him to life imprisonment for the killing.
An UNO reverse the universe was not ready for!
Nevertheless, just because he was acquitted of a murder charge, this does not grant him freedom yet. Ram Rahim is serving a 20-year sentence in jail for raping two female followers and was convicted back in 2017, a verdict that transported shockwaves throughout India, and how bruh!
The recent ruling regarding Ram Rahim’s murder conviction reopens discussion over the infamous baba and how after more than twenty years, he transitioned from a spiritual leader with millions of followers to a very polarizing figure with a lengthy legal history in India.
Ram Rahim Acquitted from Journalist Death Case
Ram Rahim was acquitted of murder charges in an appellate court in Punjab and Haryana. The Punjab and Haryana High Court ruled Ram Rahim is innocent of murder after he was originally convicted by a CBI Court and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati more than seven years ago.
And wait, the High Court ruling clearly indicates Ram Rahim was found not guilty of killing Chhatrapati, the reason why the conviction was overturned has not been announced yet.
HMPH!
The case refers to the 2002 murder of Ram Chander Chhatrapati; an editor of the local newspaper Poora Sach who had written articles about Usha Tokas’s alleged sexual abuse as a member of the Dera Sacha Sauda cult. He was murdered outside of his house in Sirsa, and died from injuries sustained.
Hello god ji, what’s up with the universe?
In 2019, Ram Rahim was convicted, along with three others for this murder by a special CBI court in Panchkula, and sentenced to life in prison. The most recent ruling by the High Court has reversed the previous conviction for Ram Rahim.
The family of the journalist has expressed disappointment and is going to appeal the decision.
Anshul Chhatrapati, the son of the murdered journalist, stated that the family will continue to fight legally. As per an interview with The Indian Express, Anshul summarized the family’s situation; “We don’t have any other options. Our legal battle will go on.”
How did Ram Rahim Singh become the leader of Dera Sacha Sauda
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was born on August 15th 1967, in the village of Sri Gurusar Modia, located in the Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan, India. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is the only son of his parents and grew up in a Dera Sacha Sauda family.
At the age of 7, Ram Rahim was introduced to the sect by its 2nd spiritual leader Shah Satnam Singh. In 1973, he was formally initiated into the sect by Shah Satnam Singh.
While associated with the activities of the sect in Sirsa, Haryana over the years and having visited its headquarters with his family, in the late 1980s, he (was said) to have spent considerable time assisting Shah Satnam Singh who was suffering from severe illness.
On September 23, 1990, during a large congregation attended by followers from all over India, Shah Satnam Singh announced Ram Rahim as his successor. After the death of that leader in December 1991, Ram Rahim became the 3rd chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, Israel.
Under the leadership of Ram Rahim, the sect expanded exponentially.
A Massive Following and Expanding Organization
As time has progressed, Ram Rahim continues to develop a large network of followers. The official website for the organization states that Ram Rahim has established more than a dozen centers throughout various Indian states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Delhi.
According to the organization’s claims, Ram Rahim has provided spiritual guidance to over seven million individuals.
The organization, Dera Sacha Sauda, has many welfare projects. They have stated to have over 175 welfare projects for things like free medical care for poor people, providing homes for the needy and providing help with marriages for poor girls. They also promote blood donation and organ donation campaigns.
The organization has a volunteer network that is called the Shah Satnam Ji Green ‘S’ Welfare Committee, which claims to have 70,000 volunteers that help during natural disasters and emergencies! WHAT?
Over time, the organization started as a small operation in a small location and has grown to thousands of acres of land with many buildings such as schools, colleges, hospitals, and factories.
The organization has members worldwide including the United States of America, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Australia, England, and New Zealand.
Entry into cinema
Ram Rahim Singh has also created an image larger than life in the entertainment industry. (because, why not?)
Ram Rahim was a film actor, director, and producer until 2017 when he was arrested. He worked primarily on the “MSG” franchise but also produced multiple films under his name as well as others in collaboration with other filmmakers. Examples include but are not limited to: “MSG: The Messenger,” “MSG: The Messenger 2,” “MSG: The Warrior Lion Heart,” and “Hind Ka Napak Ko Jawab MSG Lion Heart 2.
The names are just as shocking as the films themselves.
Through these projects and portrayals of himself as a sort of superhero battling against social injustices, Ram Rahim built himself a large cult following of devoted followers.
Enterrrrr controversies!
However, even with a large amount of follower support, many of Ram Rahim’s acts in his role as chief of Dera were associated with controversies and allegations of multiple crimes.
The most serious was to occur in 2017 when Ram Rahim was convicted by a CBI court for raping two female disciples. He received a sentence of 20 years in jail by the court.
This verdict caused a large amount of violence in the area of Punjab and Haryana which ultimately resulted in 40+ people dying in confrontations with law enforcement. SORRY, what?
In addition to the above-mentioned crime, Ram Rahim was convicted of other serious crimes such as the murder of Ranjit Singh (former Dera manager) and allegations of male followers being forcibly castrated are still in court. In 2007, he faced allegations from Sikhs because of how he dressed when he appeared in public resembling the 10th Sikh guru: Guru Gobind Singh. This resulted in protests and tension in Punjab against him.
Kyu karte ho babaji ye sab aap, we mean why?
Political Impact Of Ram Rahim In North India
In addition to the areas of religion and entertainment, Ram Rahim also had a large political power base, especially in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan.
Yup, it’s literally a “Mitraan da naa chalda situation in here.”
Prior to 2014, the Dera Sacha Sauda sect had mostly provided their support to other political parties without drawing much attention to themselves, but in the lead up and during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as well as Haryana Assembly elections, the sect publicly supported the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Prior to being incarcerated in 2017, Ram Rahim received many visits from political leaders who regularly attended the Dera Headquarters located in Sirsa to request blessings from Ram Rahim.
He is still in prison at Sunaria Jail in Rohtak where he is serving a 20-year sentence for sexual assault.