When Hindustan Times visited late last month, there was a lot of gloom and quiet in Sirsa, Haryana at the headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda. It started on August 25 when a CBI court convicted the group’s leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, of raping two disciples. Interviews with both followers of Dera and officials of agencies investigating the group confirmed that it is in dire straits. With Ram Rahim in prison and a number of his close aides on the run, Dera lacks a leader. When the Haryana state assembly met last month, it made a point of paying homage to the Dera followers who were killed in the violence.

Source: Hindustan Times November 10, 2017 02:23 UTC