Greeting cards for Ram Rahim flood jail

The Rohtak jail in Haryana, where Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is serving a 20-year jail term, has been facing an uncanny situation.

Several hundred greeting cards addressed to the sect chief are reaching the jail gate each afternoon.

The number of greeting cards multiply on some days, which makes dealing with them unmanageable. The sect chief had his birthday on August 15. This time, against the usual ostentation that marked his birthdays all these years, it was another solitary day in jail for him. But his followers were not prepared to let him feel alone. The local postal authorities say they are working overtime to cater to the rush of greeting cards.

Officials said the postman usually uses a motorcycle to get his job done. But an auto-rickshaw is being put to use these days as dozens of bundles filled with greeting cards are coming in. The zone where the sect chief is lodged in Sunaria jail is heavily protected given the threat to his life .

It is for this reason every greeting card has to be thoroughly scanned and carefully examined which is a time consuming task. The local postmaster Jagdish Budhwar says the rush of greeting cards is unprecedented. He said work at the post office normally eases out at around lunch time each day. However, since thousands of greeting cards are landing at the post office in last about a week or so, officials are working till late evening to clear the rush. Raksha bandhan festival too has compounded the workload.