Qaidi no 1997 Gurmeet Ram Rahim skips dinner, spends sleepless night on floor in Rohtak jail
The Dera Sacha Sauda chief reportedly spent a sleepless night his first day in jail, which was a far cry from the luxury of his quasi-religious empire. He also had two prisoners for company.
Qaidi No 1997 had a sleepless night on the hard jail floor, far from the ostentatious luxury at his beck and call as chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda quasi-religious empire.
The 50-year-old Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sent to the district jail in Rohtak’s Sunariya after a CBI court in Panchkula convicted him on Friday of raping two women.
Director general of police (prisons) KP Singh said on Saturday he slept on the floor of his cell in the prison barracks like any ordinary prisoner.
According to jail sources, the spiritual leader spent a sleepless night.
He skipped dinner but had a glass of milk before retiring for the night. He had green tea in the morning and bread for breakfast. He ate some dal and roti cooked in the jail kitchen for lunch.
There’s no bottled mineral water for him. He drank what prisoners drink — water from the purifying machines in the jail.
The disgraced self-styled “godman” has two qaidi nambardaars, or trusted prisoners, for company.
“The cell is not air-conditioned. He is kept under surveillance of two prisoners in accordance with the jail manual,” officer Singh said.
The Haryana government denied reports that the Dera chief was given VIP treatment.
A woman, Honeypreet, whom the Dera website describes as his daughter, was allowed to accompany him along with bags and suitcases when he was flown in a special helicopter from Panchkula to a resthouse for police officers in Rohtak after the verdict.
The visuals provoked allegations that the BJP government was showering favours such as air-conditioners and mineral water bottles on a convicted rapist.
He was shifted from the guesthouse to the jail around 9.30pm on Friday after a medical examination and given the prisoner tag of Number 1997.
Police director general Singh said: “The Dera chief has been kept with other prisoners and no separate arrangements have been made for him. He was allowed to take only his clothes to his cell.”
The convict had complained of a backache and requested an appointment with his personal physician. The request was turned down and jail doctors checked him.
(with agency inputs)