- Indian court convicts controversial guru on charges of rape
An Indian court in Panchkula on Friday found Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is facing a minimum of seven years in jail, guilty in a rape case while the quantum of punishment will be announced on Monday (August 28), The Hindu newspaper reported.
Enraged by the conviction, his followers went on the rampage, hurling stones and vandalising media vehicles. At least 13 people have been killed and scores injured. A total of 15 incidents of violence were reported within 45 minutes in Punjab and Haryana after the court verdict became known.
A former follower had accused Singh of repeatedly raping her inside the Dera campus near Sirsa in Haryana. The alleged incident took place in 1999. An FIR was registered in 2002. On Friday, the court found the controversial and hugely popular spiritual leader guilty of raping two of his followers in a 15-year-old case, The Hindustan Times newspaper reported.
The verdict was passed by a special court of India’s top agency, Central Bureau of Investigation. Tens of thousands of supporters who had been waiting for hours near the court shouted in anger after the ruling was announced in Panchkula town. More than 15,000 police and paramilitary soldiers were posted in and around the court where the guru appeared before a judge, as Panchkula administrators feared an outbreak of violence.
The guru, who calls himself Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan, had denied the charges of raping the two followers. The self-styled guru was also under investigation in 2015 for allegedly encouraging 400 followers to undergo castrations at his ashram so they could get closer to God.Religious sects like the Dera Sacha Sauda have huge followings in India.
It’s not unusual for leaders of these sects to often have small, heavily armed private militias protecting them. The sect claims to have 50 million followers and runs a spiritual empire that promotes vegetarianism and campaigns against drug addiction. In 2007, clashes between the Dera Sacha Sauda followers and members of the Sikh faith in northern India had left at least three people dead.
In 2014, six people were killed as followers of another popular religious leader, guru Rampal, fought pitched battles with police who were attempting to arrest him for contempt of court after he repeatedly failed to appear in court in connection with a murder trial.
