Dera violence: Cops say can't find key accused even as ED grills her twice

Haryana Police registered 240 cases against Dera followers for violence, arson and destruction of properties

Dera Sacha Sauda chairperson Vipassana Insaan remains elusive for Haryana Police, but not for the Enforcement Directorate which has questioned her twice since the violence after the rape conviction of the sect chief this day last year.

Vipassana Insaan and the Sirsa-based sect's spokesman Aditya Insaan, whose names figure in the list of most wanted in connection with the widespread violence in Panchkula and Sirsa that claimed the lives of over 40 people, have evaded arrest.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is behind bars after his conviction on August 25 last year for raping two disciples several years ago. Dera followers ran amok in Panchkula and Sirsa after the conviction, damaging public properties worth crores of rupees.

"Our teams are on the job to arrest Vipassana Insaan and Aditya Insaan," a senior police officer said on Saturday.

In a report submitted in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on August 8, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), however, stated that it had questioned her twice during the period. The agency is investigating the Dera's financial assets and alleged irregularities in financial activities.

Vipassana had appeared before the special investigation team of Haryana Police, before her name was added in the case in February this year. She has remained elusive for the police since then.

The police have announced a reward of Rs 500,000 for information leading to the arrest of Aditya Insaan who has been declared a proclaimed offender.

Around 1,438 people, including the members of top management of the Dera, are currently facing prosecution in Haryana for violence and arson committed in the state following the Dera head's conviction.

Haryana Police registered 240 cases against Dera followers for violence, arson and destruction of public and private properties.

Out of these cases, investigation has been completed in 207 cases, police said, adding that 12 accused were declared proclaimed offenders.

A year after the violence, 128 claims, including 25 by journalists, worth Rs 104.8 million are still pending with the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

As the state was gripped under violence after the conviction, the sentence was pronounced by the judge at Sunaria jail in Rohtak, where the Dera chief is lodged.

He was sentenced to 20 years in jail. The Dera chief has earned over Rs 6,000 till now by growing vegetables in a patch outside his jail, officials said.

The trial in two murder cases against the Dera chief has reached final stages and charges have been framed against him in a case where he is accused of castrating Dera followers.

At the Sect headquarters in Sirsa, Dera followers led by Shobha Insaan are looking after day-to-day affairs, his disciples said.

Majority of business activities of the sect are closed now.