Click to play videoChandigarh: The CBI will file a chargesheet against Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a murder and rape case on Tuesday.
The Dera chief is accused of involvement in the murder of a male follower and the rape of a former sadhvi in 2002.
But it was a picture of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, allegedly dressed as Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru in a newspaper advertisement in May that triggered violence in Punjab.
At least one Sikh supporter was killed and over a hundred injured in the violence that followed the publication of the ad. But now, after two and a half months, the Dera Sacha Sauda says it had nothing to do with the advertisement.
“The Dera had not placed the ad. Whatever the contents were just to enumerate the 47 principles it has been explained. Guruji had worn a cap, can't be confused with a pagdi (turban),” says Dera Spokesperson Dr Aditya Insaan.
The Dera says that the insertion of the advertisement is part of a political conspiracy against it.
“It is very clear that there is power that is working in the background which has contributed to the non-acceptance of the three apologies,” says Insaan.
The Dera Sacha Sauda says it is being victimised by the Punjab government and the state police, which are preventing Dera meetings from being held - a charge denied by the government.
“When police feel that there can be tension, the authority does stop both parties because of whom there can be a problem. At no stage have Dera people been forced to do something they don't like,” says Punjab Information Minister, Bikramjeet Singh Majithia
For the first time ever, the Dera has said they never placed the advertisement that triggered violence in Punjab, but then the question is, who placed the ad and what was the motive. Was it a dangerous mixture of politics and religion that has taken Punjab and Haryana to the brink?
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