IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF CONTROVERSY

The rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in which a special CBI court in Panchkula will give its verdict on August 25 has again put the spotlight on controversial dera (sect) heads in Punjab and Haryana. Gurmeet Ram Rahim is one of the numerous such leaders in the crosshairs of controversy. Hindustan Times looks at a few of these dera heads who have been in the news for the wrong reasons

GURMEET RAM RAHIM SINGH

Head of the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda, he is facing a case of rape of two sadhvis (women followers), and also faces charges of murder of dera follower Ranjit Singh and journalist Ram Chander Chhatarpati, and castration of followers. Verdict in the rape case is due on Friday. His major controversy was in 2007 when his purported imitation of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh guru, angered Sikhs and led to clashes in Punjab and Haryana. He has a massive following and also makes movies with himself as a hero. He has used his sway for the Congress and the BJP in different polls.

RAMPAL

A one-time engineer, he became a bhajan singer and then started his own ‘Kabirpanthi’ sect, building a massive empire. His remarks against Arya Samaj founder Dayanand Saraswati led to a rift with Arya Samajis. In a clash in Rohtak, one person was killed, leading to Rampal’s arrest. Released on bail, he moved to Barwala and started skipping the court hearings. The court issued non-bailable warrants in 2014. When the state police tried to arrest Rampal, his supporters, armed with firearms, petrol bombs, acid bottles and stones, resisted. There were pitched battles between the two sides before he was caught. He continues to be in jail.

ASHUTOSH MAHARAJ

He headed the Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (DJJS) having a huge following in Punjab, especially Doaba, and abroad. Headquartered at Nurmahal, the controversial sect remained at odds with the Sikh orthodoxy and radicals who accused Ashutosh of distorting Sikh scriptures in his sermons. There were also clashes between DJJS followers and radicals as the latter opposed the sect’s public congregations. Ashutosh died in 2014, but the dera claimed that he is in “samadhi (state of deep meditation)”. His body has been in a deep freezer since.

DEVA THAKUR

A self-styled religious leader, she established the Deva Foundation and built an ashram in Karnal six years ago. Deva has followers in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, besides Haryana. The controversial leader, who became vicepresident of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha three years ago, faced a case in Srinagar in 2015 for her statement that Muslims and Christians must undergo sterilisation to curb their growing population. Last year, Deva and her bodyguards were booked after a woman was killed and four others injured during celebratory firing at a wedding. She later surrendered and was granted bail.

PIARA SINGH BHANIARA

A self-proclaimed baba, he headed the Bhaniarawala sect based in Dhamiana village of Rupnagar district. He was accused of writing a controversial book, Bhavsagar Granth, describing his “miracles”. The book, which hurt religious sentiments of the Sikh community, was banned in Punjab in 2001. Piara Singh was arrested, as several Sikh organisations burnt copies of his book. His followers also tore pages from Guru Granth Sahib and burnt them. Later, there were attempts to kill him.