Guruji is himself the judge and the court, the one who is to be heard and the one who hears. So rest assured, a conviction against him is impossible.‘Premi’ Dharam Singh
Dharam Singh, 45, is only one of the tens of thousands of ‘premis’ who flocked the streets of Panchkula ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan.
The massive convergence of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief’s followers have sent security forces into a tizzy. Now, a special CBI court has held the Dera chief guilty of rape, and the fear of violent protests has brought the city to a standstill.
The Deserted Wedding
An upscale hotel in Panchkula was decked up for Pallavi and Pardeep’s wedding on the night of 23 August. Given the prevailing tensions in the city, however, most of the guests gave the ceremony a miss.
“Almost all the hundred guests who were supposed to come in from outside Panchkula have cancelled. Less than ten of them are here. The wedding was scheduled to take place on Friday, the 25th. But given the tension in Panchkula, on Wednesday we decided to advance the wedding by a day. Still, hardly anyone is here,” said Harish Mehta, father of the bride.
A bad date for a wedding, we ask. One of the hotel staff retorts, “Sir, what’s wrong with the date of the wedding? The date was fixed already. It is the Baba and his followers who are wrong.” Another hotel employee interrupts: “Don’t go and say this outside”.
'A Conspiracy Against Guruji'
The Quint spoke to some of the ‘premis’ ahead of the verdict, in a bid to understand what brought them to Panchkula, and whether they would opt for violence if things don’t work out in court for their ‘guru’.
Gursharan Singh, 24, took a bus from his village of Sidhwan Kalan in Punjab and reached Panchkula on the evening of 21 August. He hasn’t left the footpath since – come rain or shine – and has been depending on langar for his meals. Singh is confident that the rape case is a huge conspiracy against his guruji.
A conspiracy by whom, we ask.
Gursharan explains, “See, Guruji helps people get rid of their drinking habit. So, the liquor lobbies hate him. He helps people quit smoking and chewing tobacco, too. So they hate him as well. This entire case is a politically motivated conspiracy by those who will profit if Guruji goes down”.
Guruji helps sex workers get married. That is how noble his thinking is. What he is saving people from, people are raising allegations against him about the same evil.Lakhvinder Singh, 25-year-old ‘premi’
Lakhvinder Singh is pursuing his MBA degree in Ludhiana. He arrived in Panchkula on 21 August. We ask Lakhvinder why he is so confident about Ram Rahim’s innocence.
He points to the thousands of Dera followers lining the pavement. “See, thanks to Guruji’s teachings, every single person here is free of the three vices. We don’t eat meat, don’t drink alcohol and don’t have premarital sex. We are taught that all women elder to us are like our mothers, all women younger to us like our daughters and all those our age like our sisters. And imagine, they’ve levelled rape charges against someone who teaches such values.”
“A Conviction Is Impossible”
Manjinder Singh Insan, 35, is a wedding photographer by profession and a ‘premi’ by faith. He has come to Panchkula with his wife and three kids. He rejects the possibility of the Dera followers turning violent. “Guruji has requested us on social media to maintain peace. There is no chance of violence as a conviction is impossible. Only a foolish judge would convict Guruji. He has done no wrong.”
“Where Is the Evidence? There Is None”
In 2002, someone wrote an anonymous letter to PM Vajpayee about sadhvis alleging rape. No one has come forward in the fifteen years since. It’s all a lie.Jaswant Singh, 25-year-old ‘premi’
How can an investigation happen just on the basis of one anonymous letter? There is no evidence against Guruji whatsoever.Gursharan Singh, ‘premi’
“We are here because we demand justice,” 21-year-old Manpreet Kaur tells us. We ask her mother Paramjeet, “As a woman, how will you feel if Ram Rahim is convicted on rape charges?” She says:
Guruji cannot have committed rape. The entire case is a lie.
(#TalkingStalking: Have you ever been stalked? Share your experience with The Quint and inspire others to shatter the silence surrounding stalking. Send your stories to editor@thequint.com or WhatsApp @ +919999008335.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)