New Delhi: Harjinder Singh Dhami, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), referred to the activities of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh as "anti-social" and asked that the federal and state governments put an end to them right now, news agency ANI reported.
The recent announcement of the "opening of a Dera" in Punjab's Sunam prompted Dhami's demands.
"Ram Rahim's character is anti-social and the charges levelled against him are heinous," Dhami was quoted by ANI in its report.
Ram Rahim, the primary defendant in sacrilege crimes, was freed from Sunaria jail on Saturday after being granted 40-day parole. Ram Rahim had been incarcerated after being found guilty in rape and murder cases.
Ram Rahim has been referred to as a "controversial person" by the SGPC president, who also claims that the Sikh community has been wounded by the plan to create a Dera in Punjab.
"The announcement by this controversial person to open a Dera in Punjab has hurt the Sikh sentiments and this may spoil the peaceful atmosphere of Punjab, SGPC president Dhami said adding that the Punjab government should play its role responsibly in this "very serious" matter and resolve that no branch of Dera Sirsa is established in Punjab," he said.
He said that it is a "conspiracy" to announce the establishment of Ram Rahim's Dera in Sunam and that releasing Ram Rahim from prison on parole several times despite the fact that he was imprisoned for his terrible character and crimes is harming the Sikh psyche.
"The Sikh community will never tolerate this act of his. The government should not allow the convict of heinous acts to play with the religious sentiments of the people," he added.
Dhami requested the Centre and the state government prohibit Ram Rahim's online talks while he is out on parole and facing severe accusations, while emphasising that any action of Ram Rahim will not be permitted in Punjab.
A new scandal was started on Wednesday when Ram Rahim hosted a virtual "Satsang" that was attended by several political figures, including the mayor of Karnal and many BJP officials. The family of the Dera leader had applied for his month-long release through the prison authorities.
However, the opposition had demanded an explanation from the Bharatiya Janata Party regarding the participation of its leaders in the Satsang, and the mayors of Karnal, Renu Bala Gupta, Naveen Kumar, and Rajesh Aggi, the senior deputy mayor, never stopped attempting to defend their attendance at the gathering.
The senior Deputy Mayor said, "I was invited to the Satsang by the 'sadh sangat'. Online Satsang was done from UP. Many people in my ward are associated with Baba. We attended the programme with a social connection and it has nothing to do with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the upcoming bypoll."
Notably, the opposition also asserted that Ram Rahim's parole was given as a result of the November 3 by-elections in Adhampur.
Additionally, the state is about to undergo panchayat elections. A special CBI court in Panchkula found Ram Rahim guilty of raping two of his devotees in August 2017.
On the other hand, on October 8, 2021, the court found Ram Rahim and four other defendants guilty of the murder of former Dera manager Ranjit Singh. In 2002, Ranjit Singh was killed on the grounds of Dera Sacha Sauda.
According to the High Court of Punjab and Haryana's 2003 rulings, the CBI had opened an inquiry into the case that had previously been opened at Police Station Sadar in Kurukshetra.
Ranjit Singh was allegedly killed on July 10, 2002, when he was toiling in his fields in the Haryanan hamlet of Khanpur Kolian in the Kurukshetra district.
(With Inputs From ANI)