Forced castration: CBI files case against Dera chief

New Delhi, Jan 7: CBI has registered a case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda in connection with the alleged forced castration of his followers inside his Dera.

The agency has registered the case of alleged criminal conspiracy for voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means among other charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and others.

The case relating to the alleged castration of 400 devotees has been registered on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

"A Civil Writ Petition No.13395 was filed in the High Court in 2012 by a follower of the said religious place at Sirsa demanding CBI inquiry and compensation for his castration in the said place in the year 2000," CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said here.

She said the petitioner, Hansraj Chauhan, has alleged that around 400 male devotees belonging to Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan etc, including himself, were castrated at the Dera after its head falsely claimed that the "castration would lead to realisation of God through him".

Justice K Kannan of the High Court passed the order on the petition ordering a CBI inquiry into the incident. Taking cognisance of the petition, the High Court had earlier ordered medical examination of petitioner Chauhan from the government multi-speciality hospital which found that he has been castrated.

Besides, in a report submitted before the High Court, the state government said that it has recorded the statements of seven persons, associated with the Dera head, and all of them have confirmed that they have been castrated, Singh said.

The Dera chief, who is going to hit the big screen next month with his film 'Messenger of God (MSG)', has already courted controversy with Sikh organisations, including Akal Takht, seeking a ban on it.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim is also facing trial in connection with cases of murder of a journalist and sexual exploitation of his women disciples.

PTI