Dera head, son fell out over Honeypreet’s proposal to merge their businesses

Honeypreet used to give Rs 5 lakh per month each to Jasmeet and his two sisters, Amarpreet and Charanpreet, for meeting their family expenses. (Express Photo)

As the hunt for Honeypreet Insan, the “adopted daughter” of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh continues, new details are emerging about her role in Ram Rahim’s family and business affairs. Officials investigating the Dera said that Honeypreet’s insistence that Ram Rahim’s son Jasmeet merge his Kings brand biscuits with the Dera’s MSG products led to a fall out between father and son. Jasmeet had started the biscuit factory in Sirsa in 2011 under the brand name Kings biscuits. In December, 2015 when the Dera was about to launch MSG food products, Honeypreet proposed that Kings biscuits be merged with MSG as two biscuit brands by one family could not be competing with each other in the market.

Highly placed sources disclosed that Jasmeet refused to accept the merger proposal. “But, Ram Rahim took Honeypreet’s side and insisted that Kings biscuits be merged into MSG products. Finally, MSG products was launched in February, 2016 and Kings biscuits merged with MSG food products. Jasmeet used to earn a revenue of around Rs 15-20 lakh per month from his factory, but after the merger all that stopped,” a senior state government officer, who met Dera chief’s family members post his conviction, told The Indian Express.

The officer added that it was Honeypreet who used to give Rs 5 lakh per month each to Jasmeet and his two sisters, Amarpreet and Charanpreet for meeting their family expenses. Dera chief’s son and his two daughters – all stayed in independent bungalows constructed within the Dera premises. Senior police officers who interrogated Vipassna Insan, Chairperson of Dera Sacha Sauda Trust, too corroborated that Jasmeet and the dera head were not on talking terms for the last nearly two years.

During the inspection, sources said, they did not find anything incriminating or “very expensive” in Dera chief or Honeypreet’s rooms. “There is a possibility that the dera staff cleaned out Tera Vaas before we entered the premises for inspection. But, our primary objective post his conviction was to maintain law and order. If we had forced our way inside the dera, it would have led to a major confrontation and resulted in mass casualties. Thus, the government moved with caution and adopted the legal channel. When we received the High Court’s orders, we entered the dera and scanned it thoroughly. The entire inspection was videographed and shall now be submitted in the High Court by the Court Commissioner,” said Prabhjot Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa responding to criticism of the official delay in searching the premises.

Prabhjot Singh added there were no records to show that Honeypreet had been legally adopted by Ram Rahim as his daughter. “Also, as per the adoption laws, he could not have adopted Honeypreet since he already had two daughters,” he pointed out. The Indian Express tried to reach Jasmeet Singh, but he was unavailable. Dera followers deployed at the entry and exit gates at the dera’s outer perimeter did not allow outsiders to enter the dera.

The inspection team led by the Court Commissioner R K Pawar and comprising senior police and district administration officers thoroughly inspected dera chief’s personal accommodation – Tera Vaas (previously known as gufa) and found that it is a ‘heavily guarded castle”. With at least six-inches thick iron doors having eight bolts and bullet proof windows, dera chief was living on the top floor of a sprawling four-floor house built on five acres. Honeypreet was also staying with him in the same complex – state government has found during its inspection of the dera’s headquarters.

The district administration will soon submit a detailed report of the dera’s inspection to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Honeypreet was staying on the third floor in the same building. “A lift connected the rooms of both the dera chief and Honeypreet. It is extremely intriguing that while dera chief’s two daughters were staying with their families in separate homes with their families, his so-called foster daughter was staying with him in the same building Tera Vaas,” a senior state government officer who was part of the inspection team told The Indian Express.

Ram Rahim’s perch was located at a considerable height above the ground. “From his bullet-proof windows, he could watch the entire perimeter of his dera. The boundary walls of Tera Vaas were found to be very high. The place is nothing less than a fort,” the officer added. An over-ground passage that connected Saadvhi Niwas (where women followers used to live) and a sewing-coaching centre located near the ground floor of the Tera Vaas was also found during the dera’s inspection.

“It also raises eyebrows that why was a sewing coaching centre where saadvhis used to learn stitching and sewing was located near the ground floor of Tera Vaas, while it could have easily been located inside the Saadhvi Niwas or near it. From the sewing-coaching centre, a staircase led to the first floor of Tera Vaas where some almirahs were found stashed. Next to that the same staircase was a window that opened to another staircase leading to the dera chief’s personal room and also to Honeypreet’s room,” the officer said.