Amritsar, January 19

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has strongly objected to the repeated paroles being granted to controversial Sirsa dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a sentence on charges of murder and rape.

SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami alleged that the government was treating the dera chief with “special sympathy”. The dera chief, who is serving a 20-year jail term at Rohtak’s Sunaria jail after he was convicted in 2017 of raping two disciples, was granted a 50-day parole. “This is the seventh time in two years when he was given parole,” he said.