The police claim to have proof of forced castrations in the Dera and of Honeypreet’s hand behind the riots. CBI gets fresh evidence as three sadhus undergo medical examination
Before August 28, 2017, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh seemed unassailable. The chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda, had crores of followers, fabulous riches and Z Plus security that befit his life as a ‘movie star’ and ‘Messenger of God’. But after a CBI special court sentenced him to 20 years imprisonment in two rape cases on that Monday, several people have come forward with more stories of illegal activities in the Dera. Many of these stories relate to sexual exploitation. “Women were forced to have sexual relations with the baba,” said A.S. Chawla, police commissioner of Panchkula, Haryana. “Medical records have proved that the sadhus who were close to the baba and [were] guarding his family were castrated.”
The CBI is investigating the mass castration case. Sources in the agency told THE WEEK that three sadhus came forward in the past one month saying they had undergone forced castration at the behest of Gurmeet. Medical examination showed they had been castrated and the CBI is preparing to submit a status report in the court in the first week of February. Dera officials, who requested anonymity, said the castration was voluntary and “a way to reach God”.
The trial in two murder cases against Gurmeet is also in the final stages, in the CBI special court in Panchkula. One, the murder in 2002 of a journalist, Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who had written about sexual exploitation in the Dera, and the other, the murder of a Dera follower, Ranjit Singh, the brother of one of the rape victims.
This story is from the January 14, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 14, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
POSTERS OF PROTEST
Appupen is a cartoonist who has published a few graphic novels, the latest being Dream Machine, about how AI can be a great 1 tool for an! authoritarian regime.
CLASH OF THE CIVILISATION
Even as the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilisation completes a century, some key aspects of this ancient culture remain mysterious, including its script. While the controversy over whether it was disrupted by an Aryan invasion may now be discredited, the debate over Indus ancestry and current links continues
A PROVEN PATHWAY TO PEACE
Low-cost, easy to implement, immediate results, and scientifically verified.
FOOTBALL GIVES THEM A KICK
For the children of Manipur and Mizoram, the great game is a way to a prosperous future
BATTLE FOR TOMORROW
Over the past decade, much has been said about India's potential as a leading global power.
THE TONGUE THAT TURNED
Why Greek survived while Latin and Sanskrit declined
USTAD ZAKIR HUSSAIN 1951-2024: HIS MUSIC WAS THERAPY TO THE WORLD
Flautist and Grammy co-winner Rakesh Chaurasia remembers the maestro
The magic of indigo
I really can't imagine why more of us don't throng Goa each December for the Serendipity Arts Festival alone. The festival, in its ninth year now, has the entire Panjim town celebrating.
NEW YEAR.NEW HOPE
EQUITY MARKETS HAVE TURNED VOLATILE OF LATE. WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE NEW YEAR
Seeking middle ground in Middle East
The collapse of assumptions is like the end of the world-or worldview. We assumed conwith the 20th century. But wars in Russia-Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Lebanon prove us wrong. Western defence officials now raise the nuclear threat level.
