Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh – serving a life term for the murder of his manager in 2002 and also convicted for the rape of two women in 2017 – is expected to walk out of Sunaria Jail in Haryana’s Rohtak district this evening after being granted a furlough of 21 days.
Rahim Singh’s release comes less than two weeks before neighbouring Punjab votes for a new government, with the BJP (which is in power in Haryana) looking to unseat the ruling Congress.Dera followers and those of Rahim Singh have considerable sway in Punjab’s Malwa region, with their votes seen as key in deciding the outcome of parliamentary and legislative elections.The followers – who have been relatively subdued since Ram Rahim Singh was jailed – are widely seen as voting in accordance with diktats from the sect leaders.All major political parties in the state – including the Congress, the BJP, and the Akali Dal – have been seen with sect leaders in a bid to curry their favour and win over their followers’ votes.Punjab’s Malwa region consists of Bathinda, Muktsar, Sangrur, Mansa, Patiala, Barnala, Faridkot, Moga, Ferozepur, Ludhiana and Mohali districts. Punjab will vote for a new government in a single-phase poll on February 20. The election had originally been scheduled for February 14 but was postponed after political parties requested the Election Commission to factor in Guru Ravidas Jayanti celebrations.
