Villagers favour conversion of Dera’s ‘charcha ghar’ into school
MEERUT: After a CBI court convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case, the residents of Mohammadpur Gumi village here have demanded that the sect’s naam charcha ghar should be converted into a school or marriage hall in public interest.
The naam charcha ghar or charcha ghar (place for worship and religious discourse) was set up in the village four years ago.
Villagers said the charcha ghar was set up by Ram Rahim’s followers who gathered at the place every Sunday for religious discourse and prayers.
Village head Jaiveer Singh claimed no villager was associated with the sect. “The village gets no benefit from charcha ghar. It would be nice if the authorities convert it into a school or a marriage hall in the larger interest of the people,” he said.
Villagers said a doctor from Brahmpuri locality of Meerut managed the charcha ghar and a volunteer Horam had been deputed as its caretaker.
The village has a population of 1,600.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up at all charcha ghars in Meerut zone. The sect has 15 charcha ghars in Meerut, Bulandshahar, Ghaziabad, Baghpat, Hapur, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Shamli. Dera’s biggest establishment is in Barnawa town of Baghpat district.
Additional director general of police (ADG), Meerut, Prashant Kumar, has directed the SSPs to keep a close watch on Dera’s establishments and people associated with the sect.
A joint meeting of army and police officials was also convened at the western UP sub-area headquarters on Saturday evening to discuss law and order situation.
Various organisations and volunteers are serving food to hundreds of passengers who have been stranded at Saharanpur railway station due to cancellation of trains.
Many trains to Punjab and Haryana have been either suspended or cancelled in the last two days and passengers going to these two states were asked to vacate the trains at Saharanpur railway station.