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Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, also known as MSG is a controversial Indian religious leader, who is the head of Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS). He has been convicted in two rape cases and two murders. Numerous cases registered against him include accusations of forced castration of followers and hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs and Hindus.
Wiki/Biography
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan was born as Harpal Singh on Monday, 10 July 1967 (age 56 years; as of 2023) in Kikar Khera, Punjab.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s birth certificate, issued by the Department of Health & Family Welfare Punjab, which shows his real name, date of birth, and birthplace
He publically claims that he was born on Tuesday, 15 August 1967 in Sri Gurusar Modia, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan. His real zodiac sign is Cancer. According to his fake birthday 15 August, his zodiac is Leo. Sources say that he was expelled from school when he was in Class 9.
Childhood picture of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 11″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family & Caste
He belongs to a Jatt Sikh family.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Maghar Singh (deceased), was a landlord in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district. His mother, Naseeb Kaur, was a homemaker. Reportedly, Ram Rahim was born after 18 years of marriage. He is an only child.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s father, Maghar Singh
Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s mother, Naseeb Kaur
Wife & Children
In the 1980s, at the age of 18, Ram Rahim got married to Harjeet Kaur.
An old picture of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh with his wife and children
Together, they have two daughters, Charanpreet Kaur Insan and Amarpreet Kaur Insan, and a son, Jasmeet Singh Insan. Ram Rahim adopted a girl named Honeypreet Kaur as his third daughter in 2009. Jasmeet is married to Husanmeet Kaur, the daughter of Punjab Congress MLA Harminder Singh Jassi.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh with his daughters, Charanpreet Kaur, Amarpreet Kaur, and Honeypreet
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s son Jasmeet Insan with his wife Husanmeet Insan
Others
His daughters, Charanpreet and Amarpreet, are married, and their husbands help run the Dera’s activities. Ram Rahim gave unique names to Charanpreet’s sons. One is named Sweetluck Singh and the other is named Subah-e-Dil.
Religion/Religious Views
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan is the Chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, which promotes humanity as the greatest religion.
Signature/Autograph
Autograph of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan
Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS)
Ram Rahim was just seven when his father, Maghar Singh, started visiting the religious cult Dera Sacha Sauda. It was founded by Baba Balochistani Beparwah Mastana ji in 1948. A large proportion of Dera followers came from the backward classes or Dalit communities. Growing up, Ram Rahim helped his father with volunteer work at the Dera. He would do various odd jobs. In 1990, Shah Satnam decided he wanted to retire and choose someone to take over his leadership position. At that time, three people were being considered for the role, but Gurmeet was not one of them. Surprisingly, Shah Satnam picked Gurmeet Singh to be the new leader and gave him the special name Huzoor Maharaj Gurmeet Ram Rahim. On 23 September 1990, at the age of 23, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh became the third Chief of the DSS.
Like the previous Dera heads, who lived a simple life, Gurmeet enjoyed wearing bright, flashy clothes and living a life full of glamour. The media often called him names like“godman of bling,” guru in bling,” and “Baba of bling.” because of his love for shiny outfits.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim arriving for a press conference in New Delhi
When he took over, the Dera had just under a million followers, but with him in charge, that number grew more than 70 times. His followers began using the last name “Insan.” They called Ram Rahim Pita-ji. The Dera’s main campus in Sirsa spread over 700 acres, was like a fantasy world. It included a heart-shaped hospital named Shah Satnamji Speciality Hospital, a big mall with a food court, a fancy ship-shaped resort called MSG Resort, a modern gym, a school named Saint MSG Glorious International School, and much more.
One of the wonder villas inside the Dera
There was even a theme park area with copies of famous places like the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, and Disneyland, among others. During an interview with the media in November 2014, Ram Rahim revealed that he attracted the youth by offering them sugar-coated pills of quinine.
A picture of the theme park-like resort at the DSS headquarters in Sirsa
Exploitation of Women Devotees
In the heart of Dera was a special place, a cave-like underground house called ‘Tera Was,’ his private residence. It was also referred to as Ram Rahim’s ‘gufa.’ He used this place to sexually exploit his women devotees. Girls were posted at the gate of the gufa as security guards. There was a tunnel that connected Tera Was to female disciples’ hostel (Sadhvi Niwas). He would choose a woman devotee and convince her to submit to him physically, saying that this was an act of pardon (maafi). The women were led to believe that this was a divine act. After being raped, these women stayed at the Dera until they were married to male followers chosen by Ram Rahim himself. Usually, these men were either neutered or served Ram Rahim as slaves. .
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s mysterious cave, where he exploited his women devotees
Public Welfare Projects
Ram Rahim started many projects to help the community, like health check-ups for blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol, which were recognized by Guinness World Records. He has six Guinness World Records: three for setting up the biggest blood donation camps and three for the largest tree planting events. He teamed up with the American Society of Echocardiography to create a world record for the “Most Cardiac Echo Tests” done at one event. In 2009, he began a mission to stop forced prostitution and help women leave the sex industry, even helping them marry into good families. He also offered medical help to those with HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Rahim inspired his followers to marry these women, leading to 1500 men agreeing to marry women who had left prostitution behind. Many of these marriages have been successful.
He contributed to sports by establishing the MSG Bharatiya Khel Gaon, a sports complex spread across 23 acres in his Dera headquarters.
Entertainment Industry
Singing devotional songs to the tunes of electric guitar, Ram Rahim gained the reputation of a “Rockstar Baba.” among his followers. In 2012, one of the world’s largest music companies Universal Music tied up with Ram Rahim for the commercial launch of his music. Thereafter, he released various music albums under Universal Music like Thank You For That (2012), Network Tere Love Ka (2012), Chashma Yaar Ka (2012), Insan (2012), and Lov Rab Se (2013).
Album cover of Network Tere Love Ka (2012)
In 2014, his 19th studio album Highway Love Charger gained immense popularity, selling 3 million copies in the first three days. The album was also an instant hit on YouTube. Eventually, he hosted hundreds of concerts called ‘Ruhani Ru-ba-Ru Nights.’
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh during a concert
On 13 February 2015, he made his film debut with MSG: The Messenger of God in which he played the lead role of Guruji, an action-hunk social reformer who works to help people fight against social evils.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh as Guruji in MSG: The Messenger (2015)
Its sequel was released in September of the same year. Critics gave the film negative reviews, calling it a piece of propaganda. Despite this, it is said that the support from Ram Rahim’s followers helped the movie make over 100 crore. Thereafter, he starred in MSG: The Warrior Lion Heart (2016), Hind ka Napak ko Jawab (2017), and Jattu Engineer (2017). Ram Rahim is credited in multiple departments of his films, which include direction, writing, choreography, editing, make-up and hair design, background scoring, and prop design. On 2 September 2017, the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) and the Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA) barred Ram Rahim from being involved in any upcoming film and TV endeavours in India due to his involvement in criminal activities and unethical conduct.
Political Influence
With over five crore fanatic followers, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh gained importance among political parties. Ahead of the 2007 Punjab polls, Ram Rahim showed support to the Amarinder Singh-led Congress. The Dera backed the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP in the 2012 and 2017 Punjab polls. In 2014, the Dera’s political branch, Saadh Sangat Rajnitik, supported the BJP in the Haryana Assembly elections. This was the first time the BJP won in the state, securing 47 out of 90 seats and forming the government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and campaigned near the Dera headquarters before the elections. Led by Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP’s election head in Haryana, 44 BJP candidates visited Singh for his blessings. Before that, BJP chief Amit Shah had also met with the Dera leader.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh launching a cleanliness drive in Delhi along with the BJP’s Manoj Tiwari and General VK Singh
Controversies
Two Rape Convictions
In 2002, Gurmeet Ram Rahim was accused of sexual assault by his two female disciples. One of the victims reached out to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee via a letter, claiming Ram Rahim sexually abused his female disciples at the Dera. This letter led to a CBI investigation when the Punjab and Haryana High Court sought a detailed report on the allegations from the District and Sessions Judge of Sirsa. The case saw a significant moment in 2014 when Ram Rahim claimed he was impotent since 1990. His claims were dismissed by a special CBI court. In 2017, after a 15-year-long legal battle, Ram Rahim was found guilty of two counts of rape by a special CBI court in Panchkula, Haryana, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Murder of Journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati
Ram Chander Chhatrapati was the first journalist who published the anonymous letter accusing Ram Rahim of rape in 2002. Chhatrapati was shot at point-blank range outside his residence in Sirsa on 24 October 2002 by two local carpenters named Nirmal Singh and Kuldeep Singh. On 11 January 2019, Ram Rahim was found guilty of involvement in the murder. He received a life sentence from a Special CBI Court on 17 January 2019. At that time, he was already serving a 20-year sentence in two rape cases.
Murder of Dera Manager Ranjit Singh
In 2002, Ranjit Singh, who previously served as the manager of the Dera, was murdered in the fields near his village in the Kurukshetra district. He was the sibling of the woman who anonymously accused Ram Rahim of sexual assault in a letter to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Nearly two decades later, on 18 October 2021, a Special CBI Court in Panchkula sentenced Ram Rahim and four others to life imprisonment for their involvement in Singh’s murder. The co-accused in the case included Avtar Singh, Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, and Sabdil Singh. Inder Sain, another accused, died during the trial in 2020.