Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. (File)
The mystery surrounding the “gufa” where Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh used to stay in the sect’s headquarters in Sirsa, is likely to end on Friday when the police, accompanied by army and paramilitary personnel, enters the premises. Armed with orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the state machinery will sanitise the dera headquarters — a 700-acre walled compound — on Friday under the supervision of retired sessions judge A K S Panwar.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court made Panwar the court commissioner and asked him to submit a detailed report on the dera in a sealed cover on next date of hearing.
The so-called “gufa” is the place where dera chief raped two women followers 18 years ago, for which Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars. To avoid possible controversy that the word “gufa (cave)” may elicit, the dera changed its name to “Tera Vaas (your home)” about a decade ago.
A number of former followers, who parted ways with the Dera chief for various reasons, have levelled serious allegations involving the Dera chief’s residence. Except for the Dera chief and his close aides, nobody was allowed to enter the “gufa”.
The Dera management has denied all allegations and welcomed the government to scan the Dera. BJP MP Rajkumar Saini expressed doubts about the search while talking to mediapersons in Panchkula. “It has been over 10 days and now the search is going to take place. In these many days, a lot of incriminating things can be taken away (from inside the dera),” Saini said.
