SIT to quiz Dera chief Ram Rahim over 2015 sacrilege case in Rohtak jail today
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is currently serving a life term in Sunaria jail since his conviction in 2017 for raping two disciples.
A special investigation team (SIT) of Punjab Police on Monday will visit Rohtak’s Sunaria jail to question Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in connection with a 2015 sacrilege case, people familiar with the matter said.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is currently serving a life term in Sunaria jail since his conviction in 2017 for raping two disciples.
Following orders of Punjab and Haryana high court, Rohtak district magistrate (DM) Captain Manoj Kumar on Saturday granted permission to the SIT, led by inspector general Surinder Pal Singh Parmar, to probe Ram Rahim in connection with theft of a copy of Guru Granth Sahib from a gurudwara in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village on June 1, 2015, the people cited above said.
As many as seven Dera followers were arrested in connection with the case, all of whom are on bail right now.
In its charge sheet, the SIT claimed that it was Ram Rahim who ordered the sacrilege to avenge the insult of sect followers by a Sikh preacher.
Three Dera committee members – Harsh Dhuri, Sandeep Bareta and Pardeep Kler – too were booked in this case but are absconding.
Permission was granted under section 56 (4) (admission of police officers and interrogation of prisoners by them) of Punjab Jail Manual, and instructions were already issued to Sunaria jail superintendent in this regard.
“As per section 56 (5) of Jail Manual, any interview, permitted under an order from the district magistrate, shall take place in the presence of the deputy superintendent or an officer of the jail, who shall maintain such a distance that he may not hear the conversation that takes place,” Kumar told jail authorities.
Last month, a Faridkot court had issued a production warrant against Ram Rahim on a plea by the Punjab Police SIT, seeking his custodial interrogation in the case. The Punjab and Haryana high court, however, directed Punjab Police to probe the accused in Rohtak jail itself, if it wanted, and directed jail authorities to make arrangements for the same.
On November 2, the SIT chief had requested the Rohtak DM to allow his team to probe the accused on orders of the high court. The team has already prepared a list of questions on the basis of evidence on record for the Dera chief.
Parmar said the SIT has completed all the formalities to probe Ram Rahim in the prison.
