With dad in jail, son rises in Sirsa
Facing a crisis of leadership and image after the 20-year sentencing of sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case, Sirsa-headquartered Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) on Tuesday declared his 33-year-old son, Jasmeet Insan, as “karajkari parbandhak” (executive manager) who enjoys financial and decision-making powers.
This stops short of handover of the ‘gaddi’ (seat), and comes amid speculation that the position of the head would be given to someone outside the family according to the sect’s convention. The two women in consideration are the dera head’s adopted daughter Honeypreet Insan and the sect’s chairperson Vipassana.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim will however continue to remain the “spiritual and supreme head” of the dera, sources said.
The decision to give the executive position to Jasmeet was taken at a 45-member core committee meeting of the dera on Monday, the day the dera chief was sentenced. Gurmeet’s mother Naseeb Kaur was present at the meeting and strongly persuaded Jasmeet’s case, said a top dera follower on the condition of anonymity.
Born on August 17, 1984, as per his school certificate, Jasmeet is married to Bathinda region Congress leader and former minister Harminder Jassi’s daughter, Husanpreet.
Jassi, a top Congress source revealed, has been camping at the dera headquarters in Sirsa for the last three days and also played an instrumental role in pushing Jasmeet’s name.
“Most members of the committee,which comprises dera managers from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, and trustees, were in favour of elevating Jasmeet, who till now was looking after the sports wing of the dera. Sadhvi (‘saint’) Vipassana, who is chairperson for managing routine functioning of the dera, was also present at the meeting,” sources close to a trustee hailing from the Malwa region told HT.
Sources also said that Honeypreet, said to be the closest aide to the dera head, denied any post in the management. She has remained incommunicado.