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Journalist's murder: Life term for Dera chief, 3 others

Last Updated 17 January 2019, 18:46 IST

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a Sirsa based journalist in 2002.

Three others who were earlier held guilty by the Special CBI court in Panchkula were also awarded life imprisonment.

The CBI court on Thursday pronounced the judgment to all the accused through video-conferencing. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is already lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak serving a 20-year jail term for rape of two of his woman disciples. The other three accused, who were out on bail, were taken into custody on January 11 when the court held all them guilty of the heinous crime.

Security in Haryana, especially in Panchkula and Sirsa, has been beefed up in wake of the court’s verdict. Drones and paramilitary personnel have been deployed to thwart any untoward incident. The sect chief has been in jail since August 25, 2017.

Journalist Chhatrapati was shot at on October 24, 2002, in Sirsa. He had published a report in the newspaper he owned- ‘Poora Sach,’ which brought to fore an anonymous letter narrating the sexual exploitation of women by the sect head at the Dera headquarters. The journalist later succumbed to injuries in a hospital. The case was registered in 2003 and handed over to the CBI in 2006.

In May 2018, rape convict Dera chief’s driver Khatta Singh had told the Panchkula CBI court that Ram Rahim had ordered the elimination of the journalist. Dera manager Krishan had given his licensed revolver to shooters to gun down the journalist.

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(Published 17 January 2019, 07:13 IST)

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