Theft of holy book: Dera Sacha Sauda chief, three others booked

Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three others were named in a case relating to theft of the Sikh’s holy book Guru Granth Sahib.

He was nominated two days after the arrest of seven Sirsa dera followers by a Punjab Police special investigation team probing the 2015 desecration of religious texts.

They were held from Faridkot for their alleged involvement in the theft case.

“We have nominated four more persons in the FIR,” Deputy Inspector General of Police (Jalandhar Range) Ranbir Singh Khatra, who is leading the SIT said on Monday.

"One of them is Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and three others are the dera's national committee members," said Khatra.

Khatra said the Dera Sacha Sauda chief was nominated in the FIR as a conspirator.

The case pertaining to the theft of a ''bir'' (copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib from a Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara on June 1, 2015 was registered at the Bajakhana police station in Faridkot.

The dera chief is currently lodged at the Rohtak’s Sunaria jail.

In August 2017, he was sentenced to 20 years in jail for raping two women.

A special CBI court in Panchkula had also sentenced him and three others to life imprisonment for the murder of a journalist over 16 years ago.