Dera chief was no Preet, says Honey

Hours before her arrest on Tuesday, Honeypreet Insan, “the adopted daughter” of rape-convict and Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, rubbished allegations that she had an “illicit relationship” with him and claimed that allegations about her role in instigating violence after the sect head’s conviction had left her devastated.

An aid of the Dera chief since 2009, she also rubbished allegations levelled by exhusband Vishwas Gupta and contended that her relationship with the sect head was pious.

“I cannot understand how anyone can point fingers at the relationship between a father and a daughter. Can’t a father put his hand lovingly on his daughter’s head? Isn’t the father-daughter relationship sacred? What proof have these people got to level such allegations? All those who are spreading such rumours, please do not believe them,” she said.

“As regards Gupta, I do not want to talk about him, that chapter was over in 2011,” she said.

Defend herself, the 36year-old said she was facing serious charges when she had never killed even an ant in her life.

In interviews to two TV news channels, Honeypreet also claimed that her “Papa” was innocent. A special CBI court in Panchkula had on August 25 held Ram Rahim Singh guilty of raping two disciples.

Honeypreet also said she had never left the country after the Dera chief’s conviction, trashing reports suggesting she may have gone to Nepal, but said she visited Delhi.

Honeypreet was arrested on Tuesday by the Haryana Police from the Zirakpur-Patiala road in Punjab. Priyanka Taneja, or Honeypreet as she is widely known, was among 43 people ‘wanted’ in connection with the probe into the violence after Ram Rahim Singh’s conviction that left 41 dead.

Honeypreet said she was seeking legal opinion and is likely to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

On charges of insinuating violence, “Was I present with the arsonists (during the mayhem in Panchkula on August 25)? How are they levelling such allegations," she asked.

Honeypreet said she was with Ram Rahim Singh on August 25 discharging her duties as a daughter.