On Monday when the court decides the quantum of punishment to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the family of one man, killed long back, would be praying for “maximum punishment” to the guilty.
The man — Ramchandra Chhatrapati — a Hindi language journalist from Sirsa, on the western border of Haryana, was the first to publish the anonymous complaint of one of the female followers of Ram Rahim Singh.
The report was eventually sent to many papers, officials and politicians. The complaint-letter, now a public document and circulating on the social media, explained how the self-styled godman exploited women.
Basis for verdict
It was on the basis of this letter, that was subsequently published in newspapers, along with other evidence, that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge Jagdeep Singh finally held Ram Rahim Singh guilty on Friday.
“We hope that maximum punishment will be given to Ram Rahim Singh,” said Anshul Chhatrpati, the eldest son of Ramchandra Chhatrapati.
Families torn apart in Haryana violence
Fatally shot
Within months of publishing the anonymous letter of the female follower — known to Ramchandra — in 2002, he was fatally shot on October 24 of the same year. The letter was published in Mr. Chhatrapati’s four-page Hindi eveninger, Poora Sach [Complete Truth]. Mr. Chhatrapati, who suffered five gunshot wounds, died on November 21 in hospital.