After being convicted in a 15-year-old rape case by CBI court this month, Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim should have been imprisoned like any other convict. However, he still enjoys VIP treatment even after committing such a heinous crime.
The Dera sect leader, who has a huge following mainly in Punjab and Haryana, was held guilty of raping and sexually exploiting two female disciples back in 2002. Soon after the verdict was pronounced by CBI special judge Jagdeep Singh on August 25, the outraged Dera supporters rampaged Panchkula and set alight several government and public properties. In the entire chaos, 30 people were killed. On the other hand, the Dera chief was hosted in an air-conditioned police guesthouse, first, and then shifted to a special cell in Rohtak.
An India Today report stated, “The self-styled godman, who is awaiting sentencing, will spend the next few days inside a special cell at Rohtak, Haryana’s Sunariya Jail. Ram Rahim was moved to the special jail cell late Friday night after initially being lodged in an air-conditioned police guesthouse adjacent to the prison complex.”
Furthermore, a special chopper was arranged to take him to the special cell at Rohtak.
“From arranging a special helicopter to providing an air-conditioned room and helping in using facilities meant for police officers, the Khattar government is extending all help to the lawfully disgraced Dera chief even after his conviction in such a serious crime as rape. a police source, who saw some of these things happen on Friday and Saturday told IANS. “This is appalling.”
How disgraceful is it to give such luxurious treatment to a rape convict!
However, the Haryana government denied such allegations of extending special favours or providing any sort of VIP treatment to Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
If news reports are to be believed, the DGP told the following to the media in Panchkula: “The Dera chief is being treated as an ordinary inmate. He has been kept with other prisoners and no separate arrangements have been made for him. He has been allowed to take only clothes as per the jail rules.”
But as several media reports clearly show – he was flown in a special chopper amidst special care, and shifted to a special cell in Rohtak jail.
After all, why are state authorities reluctant in dealing with Gurmeet Ram Rahim like they do with other criminals? Why is this special treatment bestowed on a self-styled godman, who is a rape convict? These questions create doubts about the government’s ability and mechanisms of handling issues like this one.
Despite being aware about the possible repercussions before the verdict itself, the state governance failed to take appropriate measures to dealt with the situation, which resulted extensive chaos. As this article clearly says, “The High Court didn’t mince words to accuse the Khattar government of succumbing to ‘vote bank politics’ (the Dera had supported the BJP in the 2014 elections) and letting the Dera followers gather and create mayhem. It held that the Khattar government was in collusion with the DSS.”
It is just for sake of vote banks that some politicians allow such menaces and bestow special care on criminals who should ideally be punished for their heinous crimes.
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