<p>Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday brought back to Rohtak's Sunaria jail after his three-week furlough ended.</p>.<p>The sect chief is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two women disciples at his ashram in Sirsa, where the 'dera' is headquartered. He was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in August 2017.</p>.<p>A Rohtak police official said the dera chief was brought from Gurugram to Sunaria jail in Rohtak district before noon under heavy security cover.</p>.<p>He was granted the three-week furlough on February 7 for meeting his family in Gurugram.</p>.<p>According to officials, the dera chief was provided Z-plus category security cover during his 21-day furlough considering the “high-level threat” to his life from "pro-Khalistan" elements.</p>.<p>He was released after the Haryana government concluded that he did not fall in the category of hardcore prisoners.</p>.<p>The furlough had come just days ahead of the assembly polls in Punjab, where the sect has a large number of followers, particularly in Bathinda, Sangrur, Patiala and Muktsar.</p>.<p>On February 7, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had rejected any link between the sect leader's release from Sunaria jail in Rohtak district and the Punjab elections on February 20.</p>.<p>“I think it is a coincidence and has no connection with the polls,” he had said.</p>.<p>The dera head was last year also convicted along with four others for hatching a conspiracy to kill Ranjit Singh, a dera manager, in 2002.</p>.<p>In 2019, he and three others were convicted for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago. He was held guilty for hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused for these killings and convicted under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) read with section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday brought back to Rohtak's Sunaria jail after his three-week furlough ended.</p>.<p>The sect chief is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two women disciples at his ashram in Sirsa, where the 'dera' is headquartered. He was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in August 2017.</p>.<p>A Rohtak police official said the dera chief was brought from Gurugram to Sunaria jail in Rohtak district before noon under heavy security cover.</p>.<p>He was granted the three-week furlough on February 7 for meeting his family in Gurugram.</p>.<p>According to officials, the dera chief was provided Z-plus category security cover during his 21-day furlough considering the “high-level threat” to his life from "pro-Khalistan" elements.</p>.<p>He was released after the Haryana government concluded that he did not fall in the category of hardcore prisoners.</p>.<p>The furlough had come just days ahead of the assembly polls in Punjab, where the sect has a large number of followers, particularly in Bathinda, Sangrur, Patiala and Muktsar.</p>.<p>On February 7, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had rejected any link between the sect leader's release from Sunaria jail in Rohtak district and the Punjab elections on February 20.</p>.<p>“I think it is a coincidence and has no connection with the polls,” he had said.</p>.<p>The dera head was last year also convicted along with four others for hatching a conspiracy to kill Ranjit Singh, a dera manager, in 2002.</p>.<p>In 2019, he and three others were convicted for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago. He was held guilty for hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused for these killings and convicted under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) read with section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>