Baghpat: Convicted murderer-rapist and self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has a message for pregnant women on how they should behave. “Whatever a mother does in pregnancy, it reflects on the child as well. Mahabharata’s Abhimanyu is a great example,” exhorts Ram Rahim in a Zoom session for a select group of devotees.
The Dera Sacha Sauda chief is once again out on parole—the ninth time since his conviction in 2017. He has been using these regular reprieves given by the BJP government in Haryana to reinvent himself as an online guru offering digital darshan and spread his reach beyond the Punjab-Haryana belt to Rajasthan and parts of Uttar Pradesh.
Ensconced within the fortress-like walls of his Shah Satnam Ashram in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, Ram Rahim is harnessing the reach of Facebook, YouTube, and Zoom to spread the word and gain more devotees/followers.
But while his devotees can’t get enough of him, his victims run for cover every time he steps out of jail. The fact that he is serving a 20-year prison term for raping two women disciples, and life sentences for the murder of a journalist and a Dera manager, has done little to curtail his power—and reach.
For Dera Sacha Sauda spokesperson Sandeep Kaur Gill, each sermon by Ram Rahim is revelatory. In a cream-coloured tunic and matching trousers, she sits in the ashram’s ‘media cell’, a bare room with no TV, computer or laptop, and talks about ‘Pita ji’s teachings’. “In these online sessions, Pita ji teaches about how one should live,” she says.
His YouTube channel, Saint MSG, has over 1.25 million subscribers. In his most recent video, he urges devotees not to visit him in Uttar Pradesh—after all, he is always available for digital darshan. “Once again, I am at your service to give darshan and I request everyone not to come to UP,” he says. Released more than 10 days ago, the video has garnered nearly 4 lakh views.
“With the digital sessions, we have gained followers in other countries as well,” claims Sandeep. “Pita ji has devotees all over the world—around 6.5 crore people. After 2017, there was a decline in the number of devotees, but it bounced back.”
Ram Rahim had only spent one month in Sunaria jail in Haryana after being out on a 21-day furlough when the Manohar Lal Khattar government granted the 50-day parole to him on 19 January. Since then, his devotees in Baghpat have been celebrating—though cautioned against gathering outside the ashram. The frequency of paroles has convinced them that their ‘father’ would soon walk out of jail forever.
“Who would have thought that Pita ji would be visiting us this often? Even if he can’t meet us physically, his online presence means a lot. Now we are hoping that he will be out of jail and all charges will be dropped as the government also understands his power,” said a 58-year-old devotee in Baghpat.
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Digital darshans, Online Gurukul
Only a select few are allowed to enter the sprawling ashram. Private security personnel, dressed in plainclothes, stand at attention in front of each of the ashram’s brightly painted seven doors. Inside, devotees talk in hushed reverence about Singh’s ‘simple’ life.
Ram Rahim has a controlled diet—only six grams of wheat flour, and no sugar. He wakes up early in the morning and walks or jogs around 16-25 km. He spends his time gardening, farming, and supervising the work done by his followers. It’s at odds with his bling Love Charger days when he belted out lyrics in striped trousers and a gilded vest adorned with rhinestones and gold.
At the height of his power, Ram Rahim was known for his lavish and outlandish lifestyle, which included fast cars, bikes, and caches of gold jewellery. When the police raided his Sirsa ashram back in 2017, they found replicas of the Eiffel Tower and Taj Mahal, and luxury villas, restaurants, spas, and stadiums spread across 800 acres.
“Mostly, Guru ji does yoga and farming. He does everything on his own, including making his bed. He is setting an example with his lifestyle,” says Sandeep, who is also serving as the principal of Saint MSG Glorious International School (co-ed). She is here in UP because of Ram Rahim. These days, she spends the bulk of her time fielding media persons, devotees, and organising digital darshans.
The one-hour digital sessions held frequently—sometimes almost daily—are the most sought-after events, but they come with a lot of protocol and security.
Ram Rahim addresses his devotees via Zoom, but not everyone receives the invite link. It is sent only to a handful of Dera ashrams, whose heads organise a satsang. Reports say there are as many as 46 ashrams, including in Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. If a link is created for the main centre in Sirsa, then only devotees from Sirsa Dera are allowed to attend it.
For those who aren’t invited, there are other ways to connect with Ram Rahim—on Facebook and YouTube where video clips and sermons are uploaded regularly.
On 25 January, all the Deras celebrated the 105th birth anniversary of Shah Satnam Singh, the Dera Sacha Sauda’s second spiritual leader. Lakhs of devotees arrived at the Sirsa Dera—shorts clips of people paying their respect were uploaded on Facebook. It was a statement, an opportunity to flex Ram Rahim’s influence and power.
“In a celebration of faith, millions of devotees join in, displaying a symphony of love and unity,” read the caption of one such video clip.
To mark the occasion, Ram Rahim uploaded a 49-second video on his YouTube channel, congratulating his followers on the month-long ‘MSG Bhandara’, or the celebration of Shah Satnam Singh’s birth anniversary. (MSG is his nickname—an acronym for the three chiefs that the Dera cult has had so far—Shah Mastana, Shah Satnam Singh, and Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.)
The comments section has devotees and fans heaping praise and love for the man they call ‘Pita ji’.
Guru ji makes songs to address the youth; he made movies also for this purpose, Sandeep
“Congratulations MSG Papa…,” writes one follower. Another calls him the “world’s best father”, and a third comment full of hearts and emojis says: “Love you PaPa Ji…Dhan Dhan Satguru Tera Hi Aasra.”
Another popular property of Ram Rahim is the ‘Online Gurukul’. Like any other canny self-help influencer, many of his videos are ‘how-tos’ with keywords promising happiness, wellness, and mindfulness. A video titled ‘How to make your future bright and successful’ is as popular as ‘tips on time management’ and ‘tips to make your life happier’.
“Time is very valuable. Every breath that is gone doesn’t come back, ” exhorts Ram Rahim in one such video uploaded on his Facebook page. His white cap and outfit starkly contrast with the gold chains draped on his neck. Unlike other self-styled godmen, Ram Rahim has evolved to adapt to a new generation of devotees who are more comfortable with short video clips rather than lengthy sermons.
“Guru ji makes songs to address the youth; he made movies also for this purpose,” says Sandeep.
Followers who attend the sessions are suitably impressed and say they are fortunate to ‘bask’ in Ram Rahim’s online presence.
“He teaches about parenting and how parents should behave with teenagers. That they should be polite with them. His physical presence is not that important for us. He is the sun whose rays reach us even when he is in jail,” said a sewadaar (devotee who serves) at the Shah Satnam Ashram. He is one of 300 people who have dedicated their lives to the service of the Dera, which runs like a well-oiled machine.
There are committees of sewadaars engaged in water and food distribution activities, a shift in-charge of the day’s duties, and an army of bhakts (devotees) for whom every utterance of the godman is an order.
“His orders are final; we obey whatever he says,” says a devotee who was part of the security team at Baghpat ashram.
From taking care of parking to overseeing security and distribution of food, the sewadaars share all their work on social media.
“We are not the army, but Ram Rahim’s followers, his bhakts,” admonishes one devotee who joins the conversation in the media room. Outsiders are not allowed deeper into the ashram.
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All quiet
Ram Rahim arrived quietly in Baghpat on 19 January evening with an escort of only four to five cars. Before his conviction for rape and murder, his entourage included 20 cars and a platoon of guards.
“There were only 4-5 cars, and we couldn’t see Guru ji. There were some security guards but nobody was there to greet him at the gate,” said an eyewitness, a resident who happened to be passing the ashram at the time.
Given that the Shah Satnam Ashram is where Ram Rahim stayed during his many paroles and furloughs, the police have become inured to his presence. A junior police officer, who did not want to be named, said they follow instructions. “We don’t experience any trouble in dropping him to the ashram. No crowd to manage, and no traffic issues. There are very few police personnel at the gate of the ashram,” says the policeman.
Devotees prefer to gloss over Ram Rahim’s weeping when he was convicted in 2017 for raping two disciples. According to reports, he fell to the floor after the judge announced the guilty verdict, and cried for forgiveness while being escorted by a team of commandos. Instead, they have embraced his new, ‘healthy’ outlook to life.
Calls to Dera’s Delhi helpline number are answered with ‘Dhan Dhan Satguru tera hi asra, (Almighty Satguru is our hope)’.
“Guru ji is doing every good work that is possible in this world. He is working for widows, poor kids, women, farmers, addicts, and many more,” says the person operating the helpline.
As per the established narrative, Ram Rahim is so many things—a doctor, life coach, farmer, singer, actor, writer, and much more. His followers are convinced that he was arrested because he was a threat to Bollywood and the nasha (drug) mafia.
“Pita ji was working against the nasha mafia and he also started making movies. Bollywood got intimidated by him and all of them together had him arrested,” alleged one of his followers.
Fearful victims
As his devotees celebrate his digital sermons and numerous paroles, those who have spoken out against Ram Rahim in court live in fear of retribution. Getting him convicted in 2017 was nearly impossible. It was a probe no one wanted to pursue, and witnesses and victims were either killed, went missing, or retracted their statements, an officer who led the CBI probe had told The Times of India at the time.
“When we were fighting against him, we didn’t get scared, we fought like warriors and won. But when the government releases him like this, we are disappointed,” says journalist Anshul Chhatrapati, whose father Ram Chander Chhatrapati, also a journalist, was murdered by Ram Rahim for running a series of stories exposing his sexual assault of girls and women. The women who testified against Ram Rahim go into hiding every time he comes out of jail. “I have met them (the women) and they seem very fearful about this situation,” says Anshul.
Several witnesses are part of the ongoing case against Ram Rahim where he is accused of castrating 400 men. The case was taken up based on a PIL filed by one of his former aides, Hansraj Chauhan (42) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh.
“I live in fear every day. His sharp shooters are still not arrested. He is very powerful,” says Chauhan, who spent 14 years at the Sirsa Dera where he used to sing and play musical instruments. Though the alleged castrations took place more than a decade ago, Chauhan and others have not been able to move on in life or get jobs.
Whenever Ram Rahim Singh is out on parole, my phone starts ringing. My friends and family keep alerting me to be careful as he is outside, Shyam Meera Singh
In his book Dera Sacha Sauda and Gurmeet Ram Rahim: A Decade-long Investigation, journalist Anurag Tripathi wrote about how Ram Rahim would send young boys to a Dera Sacha Sauda hospital. But as the number of victims increased, keeping it secret became difficult. “Some tried to flee to avoid it. Those who were caught trying to escape were beaten up and put in the torture room for days,” writes Tripathi.
People are afraid to talk for fear of legal retribution as well. A young YouTuber, Shyam Meera Singh, who made a video calling out Ram Rahim, was sued.
“Whenever Ram Rahim Singh is out on parole, my phone starts ringing. My friends and family keep alerting me to be careful as he is outside,” says Singh, who posted that video again on his YouTube channel.
“I fear for my family. When a person who is convicted and in jail can file a Rs 2 crore defamation case against me, who knows what else he can do once he is released,” Singh adds.
and this is the state of today’s india…. with no crime proved, innocents are in jails, having whatsapp status for some seems intention of communal violence… and the list goes on… but rapists and murderers are called sanskaaris and released, this guy is released on parole while no bail for umar and likes him… no punishment for the killers in lekhimpu kheri incident, no punishment to rapists in hathras case of that girl who was cremated by police… aah and its our India… oh! bharat
Probably his mother did very bad things when he was in her womb and that is the reason he murdered and now on parole.He knows best by experience.