Dera chief’s residence in Ganganagar, Rajasthan. Gurmeet Singh
A HUGE pink-coloured gate at the entrance of the village proudly proclaims that Gursar Modia, in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan, is the birthplace of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. About 135 km from the Dera’s headquarters in Sirsa, this village was untouched by the violence unleashed by Ram Rahim’s followers in Haryana and Punjab last week.
On the outskirts of the village is Ram Rahim’s palatial residence, spread across several acres. According to policemen deployed in the village, his mother Naseeb Kaur, wife Harjit Kaur, daughters Charanpreet and Amanpreet, and son Jaspreet moved here on Monday, days after the Dera chief was convicted of rape. They have remained inside the compound since then.
Inside the village, which has a population of about 4,500 people, the Dera’s presence is visible everywhere. It has set up separate schools for boys and girls, a college for girls, a hospital and a dairy farm. All the houses are painted green, the Dera’s colour, with peacock designs.
The villagers still wear the Dera’s signature ‘1’ locket, but they refuse to speak on Ram Rahim. A house in the village, with an aeroplane-shaped water tank, is the “Naam Charcha Ghar”, where prayers are held every week. But since last week, it has become the temporary quarters of police personnel. A signboard outside the “Naam Charcha Ghar” hails Ram Rahim as “Babbar Sher” (lion).
“The last time Guruji visited the village was about a year back,” said the sarpanch, Harpreet Singh. “I don’t know anything about the Dera head or his childhood.” “The Dera’s schools as well as hospital charge nominal fees,” pointed out Yogesh Singh, a resident of Bikaner, who had come to the Dera hospital with his ailing wife. The OPD (out patient department) fee is Rs 50, and the medicines cost the same as in the market, he added. Villagers said the schools and hospital were built on land donated by Dera followers, and the construction was done through kar sewa.
Meanwhile, outside the Dera chief’s house, Harcharan Singh, a relative, said they would approach the high court and Supreme Court for “justice”. “Right from childhood, it was clear that he would reach great heights. He is a religious person and the court’s decision is wrong. He left his house to serve mankind, why would he indulge in such activities,” he said.
