People's Democracy

AIDWA Demands Action Against Dera Chief

THE All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) welcomed the filing of charge sheet by the CBI against the Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on rape and murder charges. The Dera chief had for long been in the midst of these controversies but was able to evade due to political manoeuvrings and power games.

In the year 2001 itself, a girl living in Dera with her brother, had written a letter to this effect, levying the same charges of rape to some newspapers and to AIDWA, which took up this matter, reported it to the police, and even presented her letter before the National Human Rights Commission in Delhi. But because the girl herself could not be present due to threats to her life, the matter could not be pursued beyond a point, stated AIDWA in a statement. The girl's brother, who was a staunch supporter of the Dera chief, was murdered because of that letter. Even the editor of the local newspaper, who had raised this issue prominently, was murdered and there were lot of protests and demonstrations on this issue.

In the light of this continuous sexual exploitation, all in the name of religion, AIDWA demanded strong action against the Dera head so that such places do not become a centre of exploitation against young girls and women. (INN)