Since September 23, 1990, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been the powerful head of the spiritual cult of Dera Sacha Sauda headquartered in Sirsa, Haryana. He enjoys Z-plus security cover and his 900-acre ashram sees thousands, if not millions, converging for satsangs.
Influential deras in the states of Punjab and Haryana are known to enjoy political patronage and they, in turn, back political parties. With his humongous support base — Dera Sacha Sauda has 60 million followers worldwide, including in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and UAE — Singh commands phenomenal political influence in the region.
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The riches and clout of a guru who's both Ram and Rahim
In 2001, Ram was booked for the murder of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chatrapati
 "Gurmeet Ram Rahim")
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Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a helicopter in which he was flown from to Rohtak to be lodged in the district jail on Friday Photo: PTI
