Dera investigation: Probe begins into ‘illegal abortions’

SIRSA : The Haryana government has opened an investigation to ascertain if illegal abortions were carried out at the Dera Sacha Sauda hospital in Sirsa, officials said on Monday, a day after search operations ended at the sect’s 600-acre campus.

Shah Satnam Ji Super Speciality Hospital’s records for 2015 had some discrepancies that made them suspicious, a doctor with the Sirsa civil hospital who was part of the search team, told Hindustan Times. He refused to share the details as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

“The medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) act was not being followed properly in the hospital and irregularities have been detected,” deputy commissioner Prabhjot Singh said.

The dera faced the scrutiny after its flamboyant leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was on August 25 found guilty of raping two disciples and sent to jail for 20 years. His followers went on a rampage in Haryana and neighbouring states over the guilty verdict. Thirty-eight people were killed, six of them at Sirsa, in clashes with security personnel.

A few days later, the Punjab and Haryana high court ordered the sanitisation of the dera headquarters, which is a township in its own right equipped with educational institutes, a cinema hall, a stadium, a “seven-star” hotel, shopping complexes and several residential buildings, including luxury bungalows. The hospital, too, is part of the sprawling campus. A government official said a show-cause notice would be issued to the dera, which has a sizable following in Haryana, Punjab and neighbouring states.

Deputy director (information) Satish Mehra said, “It cannot be ruled out that Dera Sacha Sauda carried medical termination of pregnancies in about six cases.”