Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh granted three-week furlough: Sources
Chandigarh: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples, was granted a three-week furlough on Monday, official sources said.
The 56-year-old Dera chief is lodged in Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak district.
During his temporary release period of 21 days, Singh will go to the Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram in Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat, they said.
The Sirsa-headquartered sect's chief had applied for temporary release.
Previously, Singh had walked out of the Sunaria jail on a 30-day parole on July 30.
Prior to that, the Dera chief had been granted a 40-day parole in January. In October last year too, he was granted a 40-day parole.
Prior to his October parole, he had come out of the prison on a month-long parole in June last year. Besides, he was granted a three weeks' furlough from February 7, 2022.
In 2021, the Dera chief, along with four others, was also convicted for hatching a conspiracy to kill Ranjit Singh, a Dera manager.
The Dera chief and three others were also convicted in 2019 for the murder of a journalist more than 16 years ago.
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Fake, completely fabricated: MEA on report claiming 'secret memo' targeting Sikh separatists
New Delhi, Dec 11: India has described as "fake" and "completely fabricated" a media report claiming that a "secret memo" was issued by New Delhi in April to take "concrete" measures against certain Sikh separatists, including Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Sunday that the report is part of a "sustained disinformation campaign" against India and the outlet that published it is known for propagating "fake narratives" peddled by Pakistani intelligence.
The report was published by online American media outlet "The Intercept".
"We strongly assert that such reports are fake and completely fabricated. There is no such memo," Bagchi said.
"This is part of a sustained disinformation campaign against India. The outlet in question is known for propagating fake narratives peddled by Pakistani intelligence. The posts of the authors confirm this linkage," he added.
"Those who amplify such fake news do so only at the cost of their own credibility," Bagchi said, responding to media queries on the report.
In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau levelled the allegation of "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Nijjar on Canadian soil on June 18.
India strongly dismissed the charges, terming them "absurd".
"The Intercept", in its report, claimed that the Indian government issued instructions on a "crackdown scheme" against certain Sikh entities in western countries.
It further claimed that the secret memorandum issued by the MEA in April lists several "Sikh dissidents under investigation by India's intelligence agencies, including the Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar".
