WSN Editor salutes the heroes of the Gurmeet Ram Rahim case, chastises the villains who fell in line and appeals to the Sikh community to get its act together by rediscovering its true ideals. Read the text and view the videos to know the whole truth.

I salute the two Sadhvis for their daring to write about the hell that they were going through at the Sirsa dera along with many other young girls.

I salute police investigator Jagdeesh Thaggar, who despite being pressured into dropping the case of abuse of the two victims, continued his investigation to unearth more facts and details which finally nailed the pseudo-saint.

I salute the two young girls for their remarkable determination to relentlessly pursue the case for 15 years despite being dissuaded by their families and after being threatened many times by the dera people with death and destruction.

I salute Mr Ramchandra Chattrapati, who running a small-town, small-circulation newspaper Poora Sach, nearly two decades back, showed amazing audacity to publish the letter which the two young victims wrote to the then Prime Minister of India, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, charging Gurmeet Ram Rahim of sexual abuse and assault.

I salute Mr Ram Chandra Chattrapati’s son -Anshul Chattrapati for his remarkable steadfastness, who even after knowing fully well that his father was killed by the goons of the dera for publishing the sexual abuse story, still continues to pursue the case of the murder of his father in the same Panchukala court with huge difficulties and personal expense without support from any quarter whatsoever.

“I clarify to the Indian public, the Indian media and all saner elements on social media that many cults of Punjab have been propped up by the Indian state to weaken the Sikhs and to dilute the true credentials of Sikhism. To name the dangerous few, the pseudo-Nirankaris, the Noormahlias and the Dera Sauda Sirsa.”

I salute Ranjit Singh, the brother of one of the two young victims, who was also killed by the Dera hit squad when he questioned the dera chief and his coterie about the sexual assaults on the two complainants.

I salute Khatta Singh -the erstwhile chauffeur of Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who cooperated with the daring and painstaking Tehelka team to expose the misdeeds of the Dera and was later on murdered without a trace.

I salute the CBI team of investigators and lawyers, which investigated the matter without fear and favour despite the whole political establishment against them.

I salute the Special CBI Court judge, Jagdeep Singh, who has shown exemplary courage and was not cowed down by the thousands of supporters and goons around his Panchkula court clearly meant to overawe him. I also salute him for not buckling under pressure of the clearly-visible complicity of the state with the Dera chief and the Dera Sauda Sirsa, knowing fully well that henceforth his life and that of his family would not be the same for all times to come.

I salute all shades of the Indian media, who showed courage in reporting live in the midst of cultist followers who did not open their mouths and stood amidst low-ranking police personnel who looked helpless and powerless. I commend and their fearlessness in reporting even when their vans and equipment was being destroyed and burnt.

I salute the modern social media activists -the new brave men and women on the Internet who have relentlessly exposed the Sauda dera and for whom truth is supreme.

I DENOUNCE, CONDEMN, QUESTION, CALL UPON, CLARIFY and APPEAL

I denounce the Sauda Sirsa dera and its pseudo-master Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan who stands fully exposed of dangerous cultist behaviour, masquerading as a social organisation, drawing upon sustenance, support and patronage from Indian state authorities and politicians. I am clear that this is beginning of the end of the dera as multiple sentences await him and his ill-gotten wealth is being investigated, his political accomplices are shy to accept their “friendship” and his “followers” would hopefully know that ultimately truth prevails and life is not a big drama.

“I salute the Special CBI Court judge, Jagdeep Singh, who has shown exemplary courage and was not cowed down by the thousands of supporters and goons around his Panchkula court clearly meant to overawe him. I also salute him for no buckling under pressure of the clearly-visible complicity of the state with the Dera chief and the Dera Sauda Sirsa, knowing fully well that henceforth his life would not be the same for all times to come.”

I condemn the open connivance and complicity of all political leaders and their parties -the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, Indian National Lok Dal, et al, who gave funding and received funds and votes through dera patronage.

I denounce the total submission of the Takht leadership of the Sikhs, which succumbed before the political leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal in “exonerating” Gurmeet Ram Rahim for blasphemy.

I call upon all sections of the Indian media to understand that the Sauda Sirsa Dera of Gurmeet Ram Rahim is nothing but a dangerous cult, which can cast a spell on its followers leading even to death and mayhem, as we saw in Panchkula. All such cults have a public agenda face -de-addiction, blood donation and cleanliness campaigns were the face of the Sauda Dera Sirsa, attracting attention, without verification from none other than Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

I clarify to the Indian public, the Indian media and all saner elements on social media that most cults of Punjab have been propped up and enjoy full patronage from the Indian state machinery to weaken the Sikhs and to dilute the credentials of Sikhism. To name the dangerous few, the pseudo-Nirankaris, the Noormahlias and the Dera Sauda Sirsa. They are not sects of Sikhism. The Sikh religion does not accept schismatic sects. All of these are as dangerous as the Dera Sauda, which stands exposed now. They too have used similar tactics in the past except during those times, we did not have social media, internet and a powerful broadcasting TV medium. All use stone, petrol and weapons to overawe people, politicians and everyone else who succumbs to their designs.  They have sinister agendas and they resort to extremist behaviour including brainwashing, abductions, blackmailing, sexual abuse, castration and murders.

I denounce the India TV team, who as alleged by the former Tehelka team on social media (Operation Jhootha Sauda), has perhaps destroyed vital evidence (gathered by the Tehelka team), from its archives relating to sexual abuse of girls and women and murders in the Sirsa Dera.

I APPEAL to the Sikhs of Punjab to rise to the occasion and understand the genesis of the conflict. If the Sikhs of Punjab and elsewhere had befriended the poorest of the poor castes and classes in their midst, there would have been no need to for the likes of the Sadhvis and their families to flock to Gurmeet Ram Rahim and to be enticed by him into his fold.

On the anvil of the 550 years of Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary, it is time to realign and reorient fully to the fundamentals of the Sikh religion, to overturn the damage that we have inflicted upon ourselves and rediscover ideals of our Gurus.  

Otherwise, while the pseudo-saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim is in jail, many others are lurking around in and out of Punjab and yet another one, may be being trained somewhere to be propped up soon. Beware!