Around 500 followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, a sect headed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, scattered the ashes of their relatives in the fields inside the Dera headquarters in Sirsa after cremation as part of their “faith,” a senior Dera Sacha Sauda functionary has told the Special Investigation Team.
Dera Sacha Sauda senior vice-chairperson Prithivi Raj Nain was grilled for over two hours on various issues related to Dera on Tuesday evening.
Kuldeep Beniwal, who heads the SIT, said the sect’s followers were told to scatter the ashes in the fields following claims by a Germany-based scientist that the phosphorous in the bones was good for the growth of the plants. “We need to verify this and all other claims made by Mr. Nain during interrogation,” said Mr. Beniwal. He, however, dismissed media reports suggesting that skeletons were buried inside the Dera as “factually incorrect.”
Mr. Nain heads the agriculture department of the Dera Sacha Sauda.
Mr. Nain was questioned about his whereabouts on the day the court announced the verdict in the rape case and on reports that money was paid to instigate the violence that followed the verdict. He was also cross-examined on the disclosures made by Dera Sacha Sauda chairperson Vipassana Insan.
Ms. Vipassana was questioned by the SIT on Monday. It wanted to know whether she was still in contact with Ram Rahim Singh’s adopted daughter Honeypreet among other things.
The police said that the two could be called for interrogation again in the next few days.
