Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh tests positive for COVID-19

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has tested positive for Covid-19. The controversial godman was on Sunday rushed to a private hospital in Gurugram from Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak district, where he is serving a 20-year sentence on charges of rape and murder. On June 3, Singh had undergone some tests at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak after he complained of abdominal pain. He had refused to undergo Covid test at PGIMS Rohtak. The 53-year-old sect head of the Sirsa-headquartered Dera was taken to Gurugram’s Medanta under heavy police escort for further tests on Sunday. A test at the hospital revealed he is Covid-positive.

Sunaria Jail Superintendent Sunil Sangwan told PTI over the phone that all tests related to Singh's condition could not be completed at PGIMS, Rohtak. When another top government hospital was approached in this regard, they said the tests were currently not being done due to the Covid-19 situation. Among other tests, Singh had undergone an abdominal CT scan at PGIMS, Rohtak on Thursday. On 25 August 2017, Ram Rahim was convicted of rape by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court. His conviction led to widespread violence from members of the DSS[10] and simultaneous clashes with the police, which left several dead and injured. On 28 August 2017, Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In January 2019, he and three others were convicted of the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and sentenced to life imprisonment. He is also facing prosecution for other murders and ordering forced castrations.