Ram Rahim Singh is a sex addict and other things we got to know since his arrest
The arrest and subsequent conviction of self-styled godman and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan has opened the Pandora’s Box of disturbing secrets and troubling facts about the love-charger “baba”. Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years in prison — 10 years for each of the two rape cases, to be served consecutively not concurrently — by the CBI court that pronounced him guilty on August 28, 2017.
The rape case was registered against the dera chief in 2002 by the CBI on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court after anonymous letters were circulated about the alleged sexual exploitation of two "sadhvis" by Ram Rahim. That’s not all though. The dera chief is accused of murdering Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati in October 2002, who had reported the criminal charges against him.
Despite being incarcerated (possibly for the rest of his life), however, Ram Rahim continues to dominate headlines and breaking news on television as investigation into the murky cult of Dera Sacha Sauda has revealed more than a fair share of dark details about not just the rape-convict godman, but also his cult.
Sex addiction
Despite the fact that Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s counsel tried to claim that he is “impotent” and “not medically and physically fit to have sex with anyone”, an India Today report now claims that the baba is, in fact, a sex addict.
Ram Rahim, according to sources, complained of uneasiness and restlessness to the team of doctors who examined him at the Rohtak jail, and allegedly told the doctors that the health issues are a physical manifestation of some withdrawal symptoms he is suffering from.
"The baba is, in fact, a sex addict. He has no access to physical pleasures in the jail which is the cause for his restlessness. He can be treated. However, if the treatment is delayed, it can lead to a bigger problem," said a doctor who was part of the team that examined Ram Rahim in the jail.
Secret rooms and tunnels
Two secret tunnels have been discovered in Dera Sacha Sauda’s headquarters in Sirsa, and both of them are bad news for the godman. The first tunnel connects Ram Rahim’s residence with the hostel for female disciples (Sadhvi Niwas).
The second one to an illegal firecracker factory – where authorities found an empty box of AK 47 cartridges, 84 cartons of fire crackers, chemicals, and hundreds of pairs of shoes, designer clothing and caps. The illegal firecracker factory has been sealed and a case under the Explosives Act had been registered against the factory owner, Satish Mehra, the state Information and public relations department deputy director, said.
Skeletons in closet
A secret tunnel for the rape-convict baba to satisfy his sexual and possibly voyeuristic desires, and an illegal fireworks factory, however, are not the most disturbing things excavated in the search. The day before the massive search operation at the dera headquarters in Sirsa, the Dera mouthpiece, Sach Kahoon, published a report on “body donation”.
It read how Gurmeet Ram Rahim asked followers to donate bodies to avoid their cremation or immersion in Ganga for environment conservation. The Haryana Police did dig up some skeletons and soon there were rumours of the bodies being those of “dissenters”, who were mercilessly killed by Ram Rahim's followers.
According to other reports, the followers of the cult were made to take the “body donation pledge” which meant that there body could be used for medical research. Fourteen bodies (eight women and six men) reportedly came from Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa, Haryana, to GCRG Medical College in Lucknow. Haryana health minister Anil Vij, taking cognisance of media reports, has ordered an inquiry to ascertain if the dera had sent 14 bodies to the medical college in Lucknow.
An incestuous relationship
Just after his incarceration, Gurmeet Ram Rahim had requested the jail authorities to allow Honeypreet, his adopted daughter and closest aide, to stay with him in the jail. He had reportedly threatened the jail staff when Honeypreet was asked to leave the jail complex. The Dera chief told the jail authorities that Honeypreet was his physiotherapist. But there is more here, as well, than meets the eye.
In 2011, Vishwas Gupta, Honeypreet Insan’s ex-husband, approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court to seek the custody of his wife from the dera chief. Gupta moved the court accusing Gurmeet Ram Rahim of having illicit relations with his wife (the dera chief’s adopted daughter) and sought judicial custody of his wife from Ram Rahim.
According to Gupta, both Gurmeet Ram Rahim and Honeypreet started living and spending quality time together. She became a close aide of the dera chief and both were spotted together on many occasions. Gupta, however, took the case back and the couple separated after reaching an out-of-court settlement.
"I was staying at the goofa (cave) – the private room of Baba ji. My wife was with him. He had inadvertently left the door open. They were nude and were having sex. They were shocked after they saw me. Baba had threatened me with dire consequences. He had threatened me not to reveal anything and had said that I will be killed," said Gupta. "Honeypreet was adopted by Baba as he had bad intentions. He sexually exploited her as she was beautiful," he added.
Money, money and more money
An unregistered Lexus car, an OB van, demonetised currency, and an ostentatious “7-star MSG resort” with replicas of Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, Kremlin and Disney World inside, Gurmeet Ram Rahim is quite the fancy person. The search operations in the dera headquarters have revealed a lot about the baba and how he controlled the cult.
Honeypreet Insan was also allegedly running a ready-made garments factory under the name MSG Fashion Mart, from which more than 1500 pairs of shoes and innumerable designer apparel has been seized.
But it’s not just worldly riches that have been found in the baba’s backyard. In fact, authorities discovered a different kind of dera currency as well. It would seem that the man, who considered himself above the law and gods, is also likely to consider himself above the RBI. So far, two such coins have been found to be in vogue in the Dera campus. With denominations of Re 1 and Rs 10, the currency comes in blue and orange.
Ram Rahim’s legacy takes a turn for the more bizarre every day. One can only wonder what else may have been kept hidden in the dark corners of the dera.