Gurugram: Days before the Delhi assembly elections, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been granted a 30-day parole.
Ram Rahim walked out of Sunaria Jail in Rohtak at 6 am on Tuesday and went straight to his Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters.
This marks the 12th instance of the Dera chief being granted parole or furlough since his first conviction in 2017 and the eighth ahead of polling in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and now, Delhi—all states where Ram Rahim has a sizable following. Dera Sacha Sauda has branches at East Azad Nagar and Kanjhawala in North West Delhi.
Voting for the Delhi assembly elections will be on 5 February, followed by the 8 February results. In Haryana, elections to eight municipal corporations and 32 councils are likely in the first week of March.
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Jyoti Mishra, a researcher at the Centre for Study on Democratic Societies (CSDS) in Delhi, told The Print that the latest parole granted to Ram Rahim—just days before the 5 February Delhi election—raises concerns over its potential impact on the electoral outcome.
“Historically, the Ram Rahim paroles have coincided with elections, often benefiting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). For instance, he received a 20-day parole shortly before the Haryana assembly polls in October 2024, and a similar pattern seen before previous elections in Haryana and Punjab,” said Mishra. “Given that Delhi is geographically close to Haryana and has Ram Rahim followers in considerable numbers, his release could mobilise that voter base to favour the BJP once again.”
Mishra said that the Dera has previously urged its followers to support the BJP during elections, suggesting a strategic alignment that could influence voter turnout and preferences favouring the ruling party. She added that the pattern in his parole timing raises questions about electoral integrity and the potential for undue influence on democratic processes.
However, Satish Tyagi, a political analyst, does not see the possibility of any significant impact on the voting pattern in the Delhi election due to the Ram Rahim parole. He said that Ram Rahim Singh and his Dera Sacha Sauda have a considerable following in the national capital region of Delhi. But, he added the demographic profile of his followers—lower middle class, poor, and Dalits—has, so far, been considered supporters of the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party.
“Delhi is different from Haryana. In Delhi, what a particular party offers is more important for the voters than the directions of a spiritual Guru. Since all political parties have begun a rat race for freebies in Delhi elections, people’s decision to vote for a particular party is more likely to be guided by the announcements made by the party and its reputation to honour its announcements in the past,” said Tyagi.
Stay in Sirsa dera
Since his conviction in 2017 for the rape of disciples and murder cases, Ram Rahim has, for the first time, been permitted to stay at the Sirsa Dera. During his earlier parole periods, he was at the Barnawa Ashram in Uttar Pradesh.
A senior government official told The Print that the Dera chief, this time, requested a stay at Sirsa during his parole period.
He said that before allowing his request, a report was sought from the Sirsa district administration. “The approval was accorded after the district administration informed that it did not have any objection to the Dera chief being allowed to stay in Sirsa,” he added.
Soon after reaching Sirsa, Ram Rahim released a video message stating, “By the grace of the Almighty, I have come to serve you and meet you. This time, I have come to the Shah Satnam Ji Dham in Sirsa. I request you not to come to Sirsa. Stay at your respective locations. Follow the instructions of the sewadars. May God bless you all with happiness. Many blessings to you.”
In the run-up to the Haryana assembly elections, Ram Rahim, in September 2024, sought emergency parole from the government. He applied to the jail department for a 20-day parole, expressing his intent to stay at the Barnawa Ashram in Uttar Pradesh. However, since the model code of conduct was in effect for the polls, the government forwarded his application to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Haryana. The CEO wrote to the state government, raising questions about the parole, but on 1 October 2024, the parole was approved eventually.
Sunil Sangwan, a former jailer under whose tenure Ram Rahim has been released on parole six times, is currently a BJP MLA. Sangwan secured victory in the Charkhi Dadri constituency by 1,957 votes, contesting on a BJP ticket in the assembly elections in October 2024. Sangwan previously served as the jailer at Sunaria Jail, where Ram Rahim is incarcerated.
On 25 August 2017, Ram Rahim was convicted for the rape of two disciples. On 28 August 2017, he was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. Since then, he has been in Sunaria Jail. On 11 January 2019, he was found guilty of the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and sentenced to life imprisonment on 17 January 2019.
In 2021, he was also convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder case of dera manager Ranjit Singh. However, on 28 May of the same year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted him in the case. Subsequently, the CBI filed a petition in the Supreme Court, and Ram Rahim was issued a notice.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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