Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Biography 
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Insan was born in a Jat Sikh family of Bapu Maghar Singh Ji and Naseeb Kaur on August 15, 1967 in Shri Gurusar Modia, in Ganganagar District situated in the northern-most village of the Indian state of Rajasthan on the borders of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab and the international border of India and Pakistan inaugurated in 1947 with the plantation of a kareel sapling.
This village was named as ‘Gurusar’ by Sardar Mehar Singh Ji and Baba Gurumeet has motivated and established Shah Satnam Ji College of Education and Shah Satnam Ji Girls School in Sri Gurusar Modia. Baba Ram Rahim laid the foundation of the Shah Satnam ji Super Specialty Hospital at Sirsa in 2012 and also established a specialized disaster relief and welfare agency named after Shah Satnam Ji Green Welfare Force Wing.
Baba Gurumeet is the head of the spiritual organization ‘Dera Sacha Sauda’ since 23 September 1990. Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim is known as a spiritual leader, social reformer, and preacher. Lately he has worked in movies as an actor- The Messenger and The Messenger-2. He has a few albums to his credit like Highway Love Charger. His organization works in the field of social programs, such as a cleanliness campaign, tree planting, disaster relief, blood donation programs and also for the transgender, tribal communities, orphans, and rehabilitation of sex workers with the help of his 40 to 50 million dedicated followers.
Baba Ram Raheem Sigh is married and has three children Charanpreet Kaur Insan, Amarpreet Kaur Insan, Mr. Jasmeet Singh Insan but he has snapped ties with his wife in 1990. The Dera head has been center of many controversies including clashes Sikh religious priests and political parties. He has been blamed for several crimnal cases but came out clean every time. Recently he was given a clean chit by the Sikhs in a religious controversy.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s Twitter profile – commanding a following of 3.2 million users – describes him as a "Spiritual saint/Philanthropist/Versatile singer/All-rounder sportsperson/Film director/Actor/Art director/Music director/Writer/Autobiographer”.
His website, which refers to him as 'Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan', is replete with eulogies and divine invocations/references.
On Friday, 25 August, in a hearing by special CBI court in Panchkula, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted of raping two women. On 26 August 2017, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the police to seize the properties of the group to compensate for the vandalism caused in protests by his supporters. On 28 August 2017, CBI court sentenced him to a total of 20 years in jail, 10 years for each of the two rape convictions to be served consecutively. The trial for the murder of reporter Ram Chander Chhatrapati will be held separately.
There is no doubt that Ram Singh Rahim, self-styled godman chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) – one of the biggest deras (which are religious congregations) – is a man of many shades. But what are obviously not referred to in these descriptions are the murkier hues of his personality.
In 2007, the godman courted controversy when he dressed up in an attire that allegedly resembled that of Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. This continues to attract the ire of many Sikhs till date.
Here, we try to decode the burly, glitzy clothes-wearing godman, fondly referred to as ‘Guruji’ by his followers.
Taking Dera Sacha Sauda to New Heights
Born to a rich landlord in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar on 15 August 1967, Rahim did not become a follower of Sikhism, unlike his parents. He took over the Dera Sacha Sauda in 1990, which was established in 1948, at the paltry age of 23. He became its third chief, succeeding Shah Satnam Singh.
The accounting of Rahim's life on his website cites various spiritual and divine encounters in his early life. The website also says that a saint prophesied that "He shall go to Almighty Master" after he attained the age of 23. Under his leadership, the DSS has considerably expanded its footprint, spreading its influence from its traditional Haryana-Punjab stronghold to Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, etc. A network of ashrams – some occupying several acres of land – have been at the forefront of increasing the support base for the organisation.
The influence is not just confined to India, but extends to the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and the UAE where several Dera branches have been set up.
Ram Rahim’s Support Base And Political Influence
Ram Rahim and his organisation primarily draw support from the rural areas of Punjab and Haryana, and especially among Dalit Sikhs. The godman has also wielded considerable political influence. Though the DSS calls him "apolitical", the organisation's participation in various elections of various states – including Haryana, Delhi and even Bihar – has been significant.
In the Haryana Assembly polls of 2014, the DSS' political wing Saadh Sangat Rajnitik rallied behind the BJP, and it is said that the godman's influence in various districts of the state helped the party to gain power in a number of constituencies. This was unequivocally admitted to by Anil Vij, BJP’s election co-in charge for the state, when he said, “Definitely, the Dera’s support played a vital role in our victory in Haryana.”
BJP's chief Kailash Vijayvargiya even spearheaded a delegation of 40 BJP candidates before the election seeking the godman's support.
Now, How Did ‘Guruji’ Become So Popular?
But what exactly has made Ram Rahim's organisation gain the following of 60 million faithfuls, as has been claimed on the Dera website? The answer seems to lie in the seamless integration of his glitzy, glamour-oriented image with his organisation's proactive social welfare work that ranges from sanitation drives and disaster relief operations to fighting for the rights of transgenders.
Aditya Insaan, the DSS' official spokesperson locates Ram Rahim's aura in his rockstar image. Youngsters these days only understand this (rockstar) language. A true guru is someone who adapts with time. And, that’s what Guruji is doing.
And he does seem like quite an active rockstar too, having at least six music albums to his name, all between 2012 and 2015 – Chashma Yaar Ka (2012), Network Tera Love Ka (2012), Highway Love Charger (2014), Lov Rab Se (2013), Insan (2012) and Thank You For That (2012).
Rape And Murder Accusations
While on one hand Ram Rahim is revered by thousands, on the other, his name has also figured in rape and murder cases. The rape case for which the verdict will be delivered on Friday dates back to 2002, based on the complaints of two sadhvis who said that they were sexually exploited by the godman at the sect's headquarters in Haryana's Sirsa.
The killing of DSS member Ranjit Singh on 10 July 2002 made the case even murkier, with Ram Rahim being named as an accused. Ranjit was believed to have been involved in the drafting of an anonymous letter making rape allegations against the DSS chief.
Around the same time, Ram Chander Chattrapati, a Sirsa-based journalist who reported on the nefarious happenings within the DSS, was also murdered.
Published: N/A
Updated: August 28, 2017
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