Police name Honeypreet as main conspirator
CHARGESHEET FILED 14 others also charged; cops still silent on dera head’s involvement in episode
PANCHKULA:The special investigation team (SIT) of Haryana Police on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against Honeypreet Insan and 14 other accused in connection with the August 25 violence in Panchkula and Sirsa following Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s conviction.
Police in their 970-page chargesheet have named Honeypreet as a main conspirator.
The chargesheet was filed in the court of chief judicial magistrate. Fourteen others, mostly close aides of the dera head, have also been charged for helping Honeypreet.
PANCHKULA : Police in their 970page chargesheet have named Honeypreet Insaan, the adopted daughter of rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, as a main conspirator in triggering the August 25 Panchkula violence.
The chargesheet was filed in the court of chief judicial magistrate here on Tuesday evening.
Fourteen others, mostly close aides of the dera head, have also been charged for helping Honeypreet and inciting dera followers soon after Ram Rahim’s conviction by a special CBI court in Panchkula where 36 people were killed and huge loss to public property was reported.
Six deaths were reported in Sirsa district, the dera headquarters.
The police, however, are silent on the involvement of the dera chief in the chargesheet, even as all his aides are learnt to have acted to protect him.
Panchkula police commissioner AS Chawla, who in the past did not rule out case against him, said their investigation into the entire episode was going on.
“One of the main accused Aditya Insan is yet to be arrested. We want to interrogate him before taking a final decision in this matter. We may also question the dera chief during the course of investigation,” he said. The dera chief is lodged in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail. The murder trials in which he is also the main accused are pending in the CBI court.
HELD MEETING AT DERA, DISTRIBUTED CASH
As per the chargesheet, the conspiracy to gather crowd and trigger violence in Panchkula was hatched at the dera headquarters in Sirsa on August 17 in the presence of Honeypreet and Aditya Insaan. She even distributed cash through dera members for spreading arson in Panchkula. Aditya Insaan was also present before violence in Panchkula. The police also claimed to have placed on record phone conversations indicting their role in triggering violence.
As per the chargesheet, the prosecution will present nearly 60 witnesses during the trial. Charges based on police chargesheet are likely to be framed in the first week of December.
Honeypreet has been charged under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against government) and 121-A (conspiracy to commit offences), 145 (joining or continuing in unlawful assembly) 150 (conniving with persons to join unlawful assembly), 153 (provocation with intent to cause riots) of the Indian Penal Code.
Other members against whom chargesheet has been filed are dera spokesperson Dilawar Insan, legal adviser Dhan Singh, media coordinator Surinder Dhiman, Panchkula dera in-charge Chamkaur Singh, dera chief’s personal assistant (PA) Rakesh Kumar, dera chartered accountant CP Arora, Honeypreet aide Sukhdeep Kaur and dera management committee members Pardeep Insan, Govind Insan, Gopal Insan and Kherati Lal. Besides these accused, Sharanjeet Kaur and her son Gurmeet Singh of Bathinda and Gurmeet Singh of Muktsar in Punjab have been charged for sheltering Honeypreet during her 38-day hideout before her arrest on October 4.
Honeypreet is in judicial remand in the Ambala central jail after her police remand got over on October 14.
SUPPLEMENTARY CHALLAN SOON
Panchkula police commissioner AS Chawla clarified that apart from Aditya Insan, several dera management committee members were wanted in this case.
“We will move a supplementary challan as and when we arrest them,” the police commissioner said.
› One of the main accused Aditya Insan is yet to be nabbed. We want to interrogate him. We may also question Ram Rahim during probe. AS CHAWLA, Panchkula police commissioner