Just four days ahead of the Haryana polls, the state’s BJP government on October 1 granted a 20-day parole to actor-producer-director and Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. According to the parole conditions, he can only stay at Dera’s ashram in Baghpat (Uttar Pradesh) during the parole period. He is also barred from any election-related activity.
Ram Rahim had applied for parole on September 28, within a month of returning to the Sunaria jail in Rohtak after completion of his previous furlough. The Congress shot off a complaint to the Election Commission and Haryana CEO against the parole, saying that he could influence the voters. In 2017, he was convicted for rape and murder and was sentenced to 20 years in jail.
The Dera chief has also been similarly released in the past close to elections as he has a huge mass following.