Days after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted of raping two sadhvis, the verdict by a CBI court has renewed hope for justice of a man whose wife went missing two years ago at the Sirsa-based Dera. Kamlesh Kumar, a 27-year-old labourer from Jaipur, lost his wife during a family visit to the Dera in March 2015, according to his lawyer.
Mr Kumar's wife, Guddi, in her 20s, was allegedly taken to meet Ram Rahim as he had wanted to "meet her personally", lawyer Babulal Bairwa said.
That was the last time he saw his wife, Mr Bairwa told reporters. As Mr Kumar and his children frantically searched for her, the Dera volunteers asked them to wait for a couple of days. According to Mr Bairwa, when Guddi did not return, her husband approached the Sirsa police, but was turned back.
After some time he decided to approach the court, he added. On May 5, 2015, on the directions of a Jaipur court, an FIR was filed for abduction and criminal conspiracy, Mr Bairwa said.
However, the investigating officer filed a final report in the case without recording the statement of the 50-year-old flamboyant Dera chief. This prompted Mr Kumar to file a "protest petition" in the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate's court on February 18. The matter has been listed for hearing on September 7, Mr Bairwa said.
He is hoping that the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case by a CBI court would help Kumar to get justice. CBI court judge Jagdeep Singh will pronounce the sentence at Sunaria jail in Rohtak.
Ram Rahim's conviction in a 15-year-old rape case on Friday saw his followers run riot in several places in Haryana, Punjab, parts of Delhi and Rajasthan. Ripples were also felt in Ghaziabad. The death toll in violence and arson has risen to 38, state's Director General of Police BS Sandhu said.
