Controversial self-styled "godman" and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's conviction has not only served justice to the two Sadhvis that were raped 15 years ago, it also seems to be acting as an eye opener for many Dera followers. Of course there are some who believe that Ram Rahim is innocent and that the conviction is unfair, there are numerous followers, who are referred to as "premis," who aren't on his side.
One such premi is 29-year-old Manjit Singh from South Punjab who is all set to abandon the Dera and embrace Sikhism once again. "I heard how it rids people of alcoholism, meat consumption, arranges weddings for poor women. So, I started to visit the Dera. I began to like Baba ji's preaching," the man, who operates a bus stand in Salabatpura told the Hindustan Times.
However, now that Ram Rahim dirty deeds are out in the open, Manjit is "going back to Sikhism" as he saw "truth in the charges."
"Some friends used to talk about these cases against him, but every time I saw Baba ji, I thought those were complete lies. This morning, I read in the newspaper that 18 girls have been rescued from the Sirsa Dera and sent for medical examination. Vishwas uth gaya hai (I have lost my faith in him). I can't trust a godman again," he explained to the daily.
While some people started following the sect after being influenced by Ram Rahim and his preaching, there are a few who seem to have become a part of the Dera after watching one of the Dera chief's films. "It was after I saw a film of his — the one in which he plays an adivasi in Chhattisgarh — that I became inspired to follow him," said Pooja Insan. The 21-year-old then persuaded her mother to join the sect and the duo had been visiting the Dera at least one a month.
The duo left the Dera on August 30 and said that she doesn't know if she will ever return. For now, they just want to stay away from the controversy and media glare.
The same sentiments were echoed by another follower who has been a part of the sect for about 15 years. "We are waiting and watching," Ramji told HT. When asked if he planned to go back to the sect, he said that depends on how things pan out in the future.
Ram Rahim, on August 28, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two sadhvis on several counts. While the two sadhvis came forward and spoke about it, there seem to be many who have gone through a similar ordeal.
According to Ram Rahim's former bodyguard Beant Singh, the Dera chief raped all the sadhvis in turns and everyone knew about it. He says that he has witnessed women being called to the den and they were made to do "objectionable things." He also spoke about a 1995 incident in Mount Abu, where Ram Rahim raped a 16-year-old girl for hours.
Meanwhile, Ram Rahim's Twitter account has been withheld in India. Though his followers in India will not be able to access his account or tweets, people in other countries will be able to read his tweets. "@Gurmeetramrahim's account has been withheld in: India," the page reads.
