Gurmeet Ram Rahim convicted in journalist’s murder

Chandigarh: A special CBI court in Haryana’s Panchkula town on Friday convicted Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for the murder of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. Three others, who were close aides of the sect chief, were also convicted by the court.

Krishan Lal, Kuldeep and Nirmal, who were present in the court, were immediately taken into custody by the police and shifted to the Ambala jail. The judgment was pronounced by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court judge Jagdeep Singh in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh.

Chhatrapati, who edited a newspaper in Sirsa, was shot at five times in October 2002 in Sirsa town in Haryana. He died in November, after battling for life in a hospital for a few days. Ram Rahim appeared before the court through video conferencing from the Sunaria prison near Rohtak in view of security concerns raised by the Haryana Police and the government. The judgment was pronounced by the CBI court judge Jagdeep Singh. (IANS)

Also Read: National News