Ram Rahim gets a reality check in jail, grows vegetables
A man with a sprawling empire in Sirsa but now inside Rohtak's jail, Ram Rahim Singh is no more than a common prisoner. He has been commissioned to grow vegetables and prune trees. For 8 hours of this toil, he will earn Rs. 20 daily. This is perhaps police's attempt to quash all allegations that the Godman has been receiving VIP treatment in prison.
He may have been convicted of rape and criminal intimidation but the fallen Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was getting VIP treatment, claimed a police source. He was flown in a helicopter and then kept in an air-conditioned room. Reports even alleged that he had an attendant by his side and got bottled water. Even his daughter Honeypreet was allowed inside, reports claimed.
RTI activist P P Kapoor wrote an application seeking to find out the facilities being provided to rape accused Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. He asked for information on the food he's getting to what category of prisoner did he fall under. The jail authorities sought the Dera chief's consent to disclose this information. Kapoor claimed the jail authorities were "knowingly delaying the information".
The RTI activist questioned police's intentions behind taking Ram Rahim's permission to answer his RTI query. The Jail Superintendent had asked for consent to reveal information under Section 11 of the RTI Act. However, Kapoor said that such permission was needed only if he'd asked the police to divulge personal information like "details of property, educational degrees and bank accounts", hinting towards a cover-up.
Amongst other revelations, DGP (Jails) said that Ram Rahim has no access to newspapers and the only thing he was reading was the Bhagwad Gita. He also denied reports that Honeypreet had been allowed inside the jail or that the Dera Chief had cried in jail. Ram Rahim has been allowed Rs. 5000 as e-money (jail's digital money) and is allowed to consume 3,175 calories/day.
