The then-Himachal Pradesh minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bikram Thakur attended an event of convicted rapist and murderer Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and sought his blessings ahead of the assembly elections in the state.
The incident happened in October ahead of last year's Himachal assembly elections. The Jairam Thakur-led Himachal government was ousted by Congress and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu became the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh after the Congress party won the elections.
Thakur virtually addressed Singh, who was holding a 'satsang' in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat. Addressing him, Thakur said he was seeking blessings from Singh and that he and his organisation were doing great work.
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Singh was out on parole at the time. Since getting out of prison, he had been holding 'satsang' which were also being attended virtually by commoners as well as politicians who were seeking his blessings ahead of elections. Thakur was one of the numerous BJP leaders who sought blessings from Singh.
Singh is serving a life sentence for multiple convictions in rape and murder cases. He was granted parole for 40 days earlier in October. He was lodged in Haryana's Sunaria jail. Prior to that, he was granted three weeks' furlough in February 2022, according to PTI, which also noted that the parole came ahead of Adampur bypoll on November 3.
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Who is Bikram Thakur, what did he say?
BJP's Bikram Thakur is an MLA from Jaswan-Paragpur constituency in Himachal Pradesh.
At the time of the incident, Thakur held the portfolios of industry, transport, labour, and employment in the Jairam Thakur-led Himachal Pradesh cabinet.
A video had surfaced in which Thakur was seen attending virtually an event of Singh and seeking his blessings.
"I am an MLA and a minister here and I have to seek your blessings after listening to your thoughts and the kind of movement you are running in the entire country, particularly in Punjab and nearby areas. You are doing virtuous work through your movement and nothing could be greater than it. I want that the people of Himachal Pradesh, who love you so much, also get to attend your 'pravachan' and get your 'darshan'. Also, they should also get your blessings. May we all keep getting your blessings," said Thakur in Hindi, according to ETV Bharat.
Sharing the video, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal said that "how much will you fall for votes".
"Himachal minister Bikram Thakur is seeking blessings of Gurmeet Ram Rahim in his durbar with folded hands. He is saying that Baba is running a good movement in the country. Has rapist and murderer Gurmeet got parole for lectures? What face will this minister [Thakur] show to state's daughters and sisters? How much will you fall for votes?" said Maliwal in a tweet in Hindi.
Who is Ram Rahim, what are cases against him?
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is the chief of the religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda.
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Shah Mastana Ji Maharaj founded the sect in Haryana's Sirsa in 1948.
Singh is the third leader of the sect after Mastana and his successor Param Pita Shah Satnam Ji Maharaj.
Singh has a long criminal past and has multiple convictions for which he is serving a life sentence.
In 2017, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court sentenced Singh to 20 years in prison for the rape of two of his followers. The court held that he "acted like a 'wild beast' who did not even spare his own 'pious' female disciples", according to Rediff News. The rape cases date to 2002.
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The conviction of Singh had sparked widespread violence by his followers which had left at least 38 dead at the time.
In another case of criminal intimidation, Singh was sentenced to two years of imprisonment. The government counsel termed the case "rarest of the rare".
In 2019, a Special CBI Court convicted and sentenced Singh to life for the murder of journalist Ramchandra Chhatrapati, who ran a newspaper that carried reports of sexual abuse of girls and women by Singh. He was shot dead in 2002.
In 2021, a Special CBI Court convicted Singh of the murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh in 2002. In this case, four others were also convicted — Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, Avtar Singh and Sabdil. All of them were sentenced to life.
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Despite such a long criminal history and serious convictions, Singh continues to command a large following and he continues to be approached by politicians for political patronage.
BJP leaders lining in front of Ram Rahim
Former Himachal minister Thakur was not the first BJP leader to seek Singh's blessings.
Times Now reported at the time that following leaders have also sought Singh:
- Karnal mayor Renu Bala Gupta
- Deputy mayor Naveen Kumar
- Senior deputy mayor Rajesh Aggi
- BJP Jind MLA Krishan Middha
It further reported, "Ram Rahim's massive influence in Haryana and Punjab is seen as a big reason for the parole as Opposition claims that BJP is trying its best to take advantage of his following. Ever since he was granted parole, Ram Rahim has been holding online and in-person satsangs, which are attended by several BJP ministers and leaders."
