Police to file chargesheet against Honeypreet, other accused today
PANCHKULA: Police have prepared chargesheet against Honeypreet Insaan, the adopted daughter of rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, and other accused in connection with the August 25 violence in Panchkula and Sirsa and will file it in the court of chief judicial magistrate on Tuesday.
As many as 42 people were killed — 36 in Panchkula and six in Sirsa — in the violence that followed the dera head’s conviction while property worth crores was damage.
Honeypreet, who was charged with Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against government) and 121-A (conspiracy to commit offences) of the Indian Penal Code, has been pitched as main accused in hatching conspiracy and arson in Panchkula on August 25 after dera chief was convicted for raping his two female followers.
The accused were booked (FIR number 345) at the Sector 5 police station on August 28, three days after the violence.
Honeypreet (real name Priyanka Taneja), who is in judicial remand in the Ambala central jail since October 14, came into limelight when she travelled with the dera chief in a police helicopter when he was taken from the Panchkula court to Rohtak’s Sunaria jail after his conviction.
She then went into hiding for 38 days before her arrest on October 4 from the Zirakpur-Pa-
POLICE HAVE 100 WITNESSES IN THE CASE BUT THEIR NAMES HAVE NOT BEEN REVEALED, SOURCES SAY
tiala highway.
Sources said the police have bracketed the accused in three categories in the chargesheet — one of them being the core committee members comprising Honeypreet and Aditya Insaan (who is still at large) who allegedly hatched the conspiracy on August 17 to trigger violence in Panchkula and at the dera’s Sirsa headquarters. Aditya Insaan was even present on the day of violence.
Another category is of the dera management committee members who allegedly executed the conspiracy. It includes Dilawar Insaan, Surinder Dhiman, Chamkaur Singh, Dhan Singh, who are currently in judicial remand.
Pawan Insaan was the latest to be arrested in the case.
The third category is of the ones who were neither in the dera core committee or management committee. For instance, dera chief's personal assistant-
cum-driver Rakesh Kumar, who too played a vital role in executing violence and is currently behind bars.
Sources said the police will have nearly 100 witnesses in the case but their names have not been revealed at this stage. The police have taken on record a phone call that was intercepted from Jind corroborating their role in the Panchkula arson, sources said. Cash recovery from Chamkaur Singh and documents seized from Honeypreet are among the evidences to be produced in the court.
A senior official said this chargesheet is the main case in connection with the Panchkula arson while chargesheets in two related cases, including arrest of dera chief's commandos in his alleged escape bid and seizure of vehicles of his cavalcade were filed last week. As many as 173 FIRs having nearly 1,000 dera followers as accused for attacking security forces and damaging public property have been registered so far.