Manmohan Singh had Ignored Pressure, Backed CBI in Dera Chief Case
Narayan also said that his boss Vijay Shanker held his ground even when “powerful MPs asked him to drop the cases”.
After the conviction of the Dera chief, Gurmeet Singh, in two rape cases against him, the chief investigating officer has revealed that former PM Manmohan Singh had a role to play in this case.
M Narayanan, a retired DIG of the CBI, said that Singh had ignored political pressure and given Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) a free hand.
"The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stood by the CBI and ordered us to go by the law. He went through the statement made by two Sadhvis before a judge and did not succumb to the pressures from Punjab and Haryana MPs. After a lot of pressure from these MPs, Manmohan Singh had summoned the then CBI chief Vijay Shanker to his office to discuss the case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. After seeing the victim's statements before a judge, Singh backed us," Narayanan told CNN News18.
In his interview, Narayan also mentioned that his boss Vijay Shanker held his ground even when “powerful MPs asked him to drop cases against Ram Rahim”.
Talking about the case, he said that finding the Sadhvi was difficult as the letter was anonymous. The investigating officers had narrowed down on 10 Sadhwis out of which only two agreed to speak up.
He said that while investigating the case, it was difficult for the CBI to enter the Dera premises as the goons of Ram Rahim would threaten them. He hopes that the Dera chief will be convicted in other cases against him.
Dera Sacha Sauda sect head was on 28 August sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment by a CBI courtfor raping two of his disciples in 2002.
The conviction of the sect head on 25 August was followed by violence which claimed 32 lives in Panchkula and six in Sirsa, besides leaving over 260 injured.
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