Dera chief held, freed on bail

[Harbhajan]

Dera chief held, freed on bail

Passport Seized

Kiran Deep

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, July 30

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was today arrested and released on bail at the same time by the Punjab Police, in a case registered against him in Bathinda for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs through his blasphemous act of imitating Guru Gobind Singh and enacting the religious baptism ceremony. The dera chief was released on a personal bail bond of Rs 1 lakh.

Police officials also took the passport of the dera chief in their possession along with some documents related to the case from the dera officials.

All the formalities were completed by the police in the residential complex of the dera chief called ‘guffa’. Inspector Harvinder Singh Virk accompanied by Sub Inspector Ram Singh conducted the inquiry. The police reached here in compliance of the court order as the dera chief had been granted interim bail in the case by the high court on June 29 with certain conditions.

However, the police official first completed the legal formalities of mentioning the case and purpose of their visit in the Daily Diary Report (DDR) in police station, Sadar, under which the dera territory falls. Thereafter, the Haryana Police accompanied by the two members of the dera management committee took only four police personnel of the Punjab Police into the dera. The rest of the 16 stayed at sadar police station only.

The SP, Vikas Arora, confirming the development said Sirsa police fully cooperated with Punjab police. Inspector Harvinder Singh said the dera chief had joined the investigation. The case against the dera chief was registered on May 20 under Section 295-A IPC on a complaint of Rajinder Singh Sidhu, the president of the local Khalsa Diwan. Sidhu had alleged that by inserting advertisements in various newspapers showing Ram Rahim Gurmit Singh imitating Guru Gobind Singh the dera chief hurt the sentiments of Sikhs.