Panchkula: Khatta Singh, former driver of rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, told Panchkula CBI court on Saturday that Ram Rahim had ordered his men to eliminate Sirsa-based local journalist Ram Chandra Chattrapati in his presence.
Narrating the sequence of events, he said Ram Rahim reached dera headquarters in Sirsa from a satsang in Jalandhar on October 23, 2002. His followers Nirmal, Kuldeep and dera manager Krishan Kumar showed him an article published in Chattrapati’s newspaper about sexual exploitation of sadhavis inside the dera.
According to Khatta Singh, the dera chief got furious and asked them to kill the journalist, who was then shot dead the next day on October 24. The journalist died a few days later.
As per the CBI chargesheet shots were fired by Nirmal and Kuldeep, while the gun was provided by Krishan Kumar. Dera chief is accused of being the main conspirator in the case.
Next hearing on May 8
