Ram Rahim Singh case: Manmohan Singh gave free hand to CBI, says former CBI officer

Speaking after the conviction of the Dera chief, M Narayanan, a retired DIG of the CBI, said that former PM had ignored political pressure and given Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) a free hand.

A retired chief investigating officer revealed that former prime minister Manmohan Singh had played a crucial role in the investigation of two rape cases against Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Speaking after the conviction of the Dera chief, M Narayanan, a retired DIG of the CBI, said that former PM had ignored political pressure and given Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) a free hand.

"The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stood by the CBI and ordered us to go by the law. He went through the statement made by two Sadhvis before a judge and did not succumb to the pressures from Punjab and Haryana MPs. After a lot of pressure from these MPs, Manmohan Singh had summoned the then CBI chief Vijay Shanker to his office to discuss the case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. After seeing the victim's statements before a judge, Singh backed us," Narayanan told CNN News18 in an interview.

Narayanan also mentioned that his boss Vijay Shanker was unfazed when "powerful MPs asked him to drop cases against Ram Rahim".

He said that while investigating the case, it was difficult for the CBI to enter the Dera premises as the goons of Ram Rahim would threaten them.

Talking about the investigation , Narayanan said that finding the Sadhvi, who wrote an anonymous letter, was difficult. Out of 10 Sadhwis only two agreed to speak up, he said.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment by a CBI court on August 28 for raping two of his disciples.

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