The Dera Sacha Sauda on Thursday denied issuing threats to witnesses in the cases of murder and sexual molestation against its chief.
CHANDIGARH: The Dera Sacha Sauda on Thursday denied issuing threats to witnesses in the cases of murder and sexual molestation against its chief and said the CBI's allegations were part of a smear campaign by "political orchestrators".
"If there is any evidence of such threats, it needs to be given to law enforcement agencies for strict action. But, making allegations against the Dera has become fashionable," its spokesman Aditya Insaan said in a statement on Wednesday.
He said the aim of "such rumours and insinuations" was to affect the judicial process "but people now have been able to see through the entire politically motivated gameplan".
"The statements attributed to Joginder Singh (father of Dera manager Ranjit Singh who was murdered) are entirely after having been cajoled by (All-India Anti Terrorist Front chief) MS Bitta who is known for his publicity-seeking antics," he said.
The statements alleged that the CBI chargesheet against Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh were "a blatant abuse of the process of investigation" but said it trusted the court to put an end to "these mischievous insinuations".
Singh is facing cases in connection with the murder of Dera manager Ranjit Singh and sexual molestation of a 'sadhvi' at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa, Haryana.
The CBI has written to Haryana police alleging the Dera was intimidating the witnesses and sought their protection.
The Dera chief has also been booked by Punjab police for hurting religious sentiments after he appeared in a dress similar to that of 10th Guru Gobind Singh.
A report from Sirsa said SAD (Amritsar) vice-president jathedar Baldev Singh Sirsa demanded immediate arrest of the Dera chief and withdrawal of criminal cases against the Sikhs.
He said despite "enough evidence" provided by a TV channel and by his former driver Khatta Singh on Ram Rihim Singh's involvement in the "rape and murder" and filing of cases by the CBI in court, he had not been arrested so far.
He accused the Congress and the SAD-BJP combine in Punjab of "hatching a conspiracy to shield" the Dera chief.
Meanwhile, 111 families from Mangeana village in the district who were Dera followers yesterday renounced the sect and were baptized into Sikhism.
Among them was Sukhdev Kaur, a sister-in-law of Khatta Singh, who is one of the key CBI witnesses in the cases against the Dera chief.
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