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 DSS Logo | |
| Abbreviation | DSS |
|---|---|
| Established | 29 April 1948; 76 years ago (1948-04-29) |
| Founder | Mastana Balochistani, Amukurejuddin Khan |
| Type |
|
| Registration no. | 5234 |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | |
| Headquarters | Sirsa, Haryana, India |
| Coordinates | 29°32′01″N 75°01′04″E / 29.533593°N 75.017702°E / 29.533593; 75.017702 |
| Region served | |
| Secretary General | Vipassana Insan |
| Successor | Shah Satnam Singh |
| Current leader | Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh |
| Website | www |
Dera Sacha Sauda (colloquially DSS) is a spiritual cult and self-proclaimed "non-profit social welfare and spiritual organisation" that was established on 29 April 1948 by Mastana Balochistani, an ascetic, as a centre for spiritual learning. Its main centre is situated in the city of Sirsa in Haryana state, northern India. The organisation has 46 ashrams (divisions) across India and branches in countries such as the United States, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Australia and the United Kingdom. DSS presently has more than 60 million followers worldwide.
Allegedly 400 followers of the sect have been castrated inside the sect’s headquarters to "bring them closer to god". One of the castrated men came forward and filed a complaint in court against the guru. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the castrations were done to "safeguard" female followers from "possible sexual advances".
Its leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, is a controversial figure in India and was accused of murder and convicted of rape. On 25 August 2017, a special CBI court in the city of Panchkula, Haryana, found him guilty of sexually assaulting 2 Dera sadhvis (female followers). The self styled "godman" faces a minimum of 7 years in prison for the offences, the exact duration of which is to be finalised on 28 August 2017.
History
Dera Sacha Sauda was established by Mastana Balochistani, from Balochistan, in 1948. He was popularly known among his devotees as His Holiness Beparawah Mastana Ji Maharaj. He died on 18 April 1960. Shah Satnam Singh, born on 25 January 1919 took over the spiritual leadership position from Balochistani at the age of 41 and served until 1990. He died on 13 December 1991. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh became the third master of DSS on 23 September 1990. DSS is a registered NGO.
2017 riots
Its leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was accused of murder and convicted of rape. On 25 August 2017, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Panchkula, Haryana, found him guilty of sexually assaulting two Dera sadhvis (female followers), one of whom had written to the then prime minister of India about it in 2002. Singh faces a minimum of seven years in prison for the offences, the exact duration of which is to be finalized on 28 August 2017. More than 150,000 followers of DSS had gathered at Panchkula along with a few nearby places, where the hearing was taking place, and upon learning of the court's verdict were involved in a mass riot which led to the death of at least 30 people and more than 250 seriously injured. The Chandigarh and Punjab high court ordered for all of DSS's properties to be attached to pay for the losses incurred due to the violence. A few incidents were reported in Indian capital of New Delhi, which is just 243 kilometres (151 mi) away from the epicenter. The incident led to widespread criticism of the government, that despite high court's repeated warnings, failed not just in gauging the severity of the situation but also in enforcing the Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code prohibiting an assembly of any more than four people, which was in effect at the time of the verdict.
Teachings
The Dera's teachings emphasize the recitation of sacred words and the achievement of transcendence. The devotees are asked to practice alcohol abstinence, vegetarianism, marital fidelity, and truth. They are also asked to abstain from ritualism and from making monetary reigious donations (see #Funding).
During the satsang gatherings, the Guru of the Dera sits beneath Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Christian symbols organized in a way that depict him as the union of these religions.
Political activities
Dera Sacha Sauda is the only among the various Deras, which openly asks its supporters to vote for particular political parties. The previous Congress government enjoyed the organisation's support and it reciprocated by providing a Z-plus security cover for the group's leader. Singh's son is married to the daughter of the Congress leader Harminder Singh Jassi. The Dera Sacha Sauda supported Congress in the 2007 Punjab state elections, and helped the party take control of the Malwa region. Before the 2012 Punjab state elections, the Congress leader Amarinder Singh, his wife Preneet Kaur and his son Raninder Singh visited Singh, asking him to extend his support to Congress. However, Dera's support to Congress alienated the party's Sikh vote bank. In the 2012 elections, Congress performed poorly, and Jassi lost the election. The poor performance of Congress in Malwa in 2012 was seen as a signal of the downfall of Dera's political power.
In 2014 Haryana polls and Lok Sabha Polls, Bhartiya Janta Party requested support from Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim. In February 2015, the organisation openly supported BJP in Delhi elections. The organization supported BJP in the Bihar assembly election in 2015, and nearly 3000 Dera followers campaigned for BJP in the state.
Welfare activities
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh formed a welfare and disaster relief organisation called Shah Satnam Ji Green-S Welfare Force, which now has more than 70,000 doctors, engineers, rescuers, paramedics, and tradesmen participating. The organisation has rendered aid during many of India's natural disasters like Kolkata fire and the factory collapse in Jalandhar.
During the 2013 flash floods in Uttarakhand, a team of volunteers and doctors provided medical care to people, distributed food packets and conducted rescue missions. The area of Deoli-Brahmgram village was called a 'village of widows' as many men belonging to the area died in the floods. In an attempt to rehabilitate the women, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh announced that 1,500 followers of the sect were willing to tie the knot with the Uttarakhand widows.
Anti-prostitution initiatives began in November 2009, when Singh called on his followers to counter prostitution, and to help sex-workers escape a "life of perpetual slavery". In December 2009, Dera and its volunteers took a step towards reducing sex trafficking in the country and also preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS virus, by giving a consent for marriage with adult sex workers and to "help them escape their dreary existence". In January 2010, a mass marriage ceremony for former sex workers took place in Sirsa. Dera Sacha Sauda's 400-bed multi-specialty hospital was inaugurated by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in Sirsa in March 2014 and has been named Shah Satnam ji Speciality Hospital.
Dera Sacha Sauda had launched a social welfare campaign and had filed a petition in the Supreme Court to grant legal status to transgender people. On 15 April 2014 the Apex Court gave a judgement in favour of the Eunuchs and ordered that the hijras and transgender people will now be given the legal status of the third gender. This will make them eligible for quota in various government jobs, education institutions and also ensure medical treatment.
DSS also initiated a series of sanitation drives and as of 2016, about 30 Mega Cleanliness Campaigns have been conducted in several states of India and also in other countries.
Blood donation camps
Like several other religious groups in India, the Dera Sacha Sauda has organized large-scale blood donation camps. In December 2003, a camp held on the death anniversary of its former guru attracted 15,432 donors. In October 2004, the Dera broke its own record during the mortuary ceremony of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's father. This time it attracted 17,921 donors, and collected 12,002,450 ml units of blood in a single day. This was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest ever amount of blood collected on a single day.
The official publication of Dera Sacha Sauda claims that the world record was created by "sheer chance", thus denying the suggestions that it was a show-off for media attention and the glorification of their guru. However, in 2003, the Dera had sent an e-mail to the Guinness Book compilers, seeking clarifications on the conditions that needed to be met to break the previous record. During the donation exercise, the Dera had meticulously collected proofs needed to qualify for the world record. After creating the record, several Dera devotees also stated that their aim was to create the record.
Doctors have criticized the "ostentatious" mass blood donation camps organized by Dera Sacha Sauda as wasteful. According to the director of the Shiv Shakti blood bank in Sirsa, most of the blood collected in Dera's camps gets wasted. Moreover, the devotees don't respond to the blood bank's requests for blood donations at other times, when there is an actual need for blood donation.
References
- "State-wise list of VOs/NGOs signed up on the NGO-PS - Haryana(1183)". 12 August 2004. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
- ^ DSS (11 May 2013). "About Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) – Social Welfare & Spiritual Organization". Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ "The Baba on song - Rise and spread of Dera Sacha Sauda". The Indian Express. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- "Thousands of Patients examined in the Largest Eye Screening Camp". DSS. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
- Largest Blood Donation. Guinness Book of World Records
- "Dera again makes it to Guinness Book of World Records Collects 43,732 units of blood in a day". The Tribune. 15 November 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- "Deras: Where religion and power coincide - Biggest Deras In Punjab". The Indian Express. 29 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- ^ "Rape trial, castration of followers: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is no stranger to controversies". 23 August 2017.
- "Rape, Murder, Mass Castration: Controversies surrounding Gurmeet Ram Rahim". 25 August 2017.
- ^ "Guru Ram Rahim Singh rape verdict draws crowds". 25 August 2017 – via www.bbc.com.
- "India's 'guru of bling' accused of tricking 400 followers into cutting off their testicles to meet God". 3 March 2015.
- "Spiritual leader allegedly manipulated 400 men into removing testicles". 1 March 2015.
- ^ "Baba Bling: Meet Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the Dera chief who thrives on controversies". 25 August 2017.
- ^ "This Isn't Ram Rahim Singh's First Brush With Court And Controversy".
- ^ "Shocking Facts About Rockstar Baba aka Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan". 27 December 2014.
- ^ "Gurmeet Ram Rahim: Why is he such a controversial figure?".
- ^ "Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim found guilty of rape, CBI court ruling comes after 14 years".
- Rajalakshmi, T. K. (21 December 2002 – 3 January 2003). "Godman under a cloud". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
- "List Of NGO In Sirsa".
- "List Of NGO of Sirsa".
- "Dera Sacha Sauda NGO ID-5488241216".
- Jacob Copeman 2009, p. 114.
- Jacob Copeman 2009, p. 113.
- SHARMA, NIDHI (2 December 2016). "Dera chiefs play gurus to tallest of politicians" – via The Economic Times.
- ^ Navjeevan Gopal (7 March 2012). "Amid depleting clout, dera chief's kin loses". The Indian Express.
- "Poll-bound Punjab awaits Dera Sacha Sauda diktat on voting". The Times Of India. 29 January 2012.
- "Dera Sacha Sauda: The key to power in Punjab — Rediff.com News". Rediff. 28 January 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
- "Haryana polls: Dera Sacha Sauda's political wing to support BJP".
- Anand Kumar Patel (5 February 2015). "BJP's New Friend: Dera Sacha Sauda, the Sect Led by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh". NDTV.com. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- "Delhi Assembly polls 2015: Dera Sacha Sauda extends support to BJP". Zee News. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- "Former Punjab top cop alleges Dera Sacha Sauda controversy was conspired by SAD govt". Times of India. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- "Messengers of self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh rooting for BJP". timesofindia-economictimes. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
- {www.shahsatnamjigreenswelfareforcewing.org/about/}
- "Devastating fire breaks out in Darjeeling market". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- "1,500 Dera Sacha Sauda volunteers earn praise for rescue efforts". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- "Heroes of Jalandhar who saved many lives". IBN Live. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
- "DSS sends a team of AIMMS docs to Uttarakhand". Millennium Post.
- "Uttarakhand Relief Work by Dera". Deccan Chronicle.
- "DSS followers wed Uttarakhand widows, victims of the 2013 flash floods". Zee News.
- "Unbelievable Movement by Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan against Prostitution".
- "Indian sect members vow to marry sex workers - Manchester News". Manchesterwired.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
- {http://www.sikhnet.com/news/dera-sacha-sauda-members-vow-marry-sex-workers}
- "Dera Sacha Sauda members to marry sex workers - Sakal Times". Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- "Dera Sacha Sauda sect organises mass marriage ceremony for sex workers". Asian News International. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
- {http://www.oceanofweb.com/news/prostitutes-wedding-successful.html}
- ^ "Welfare of Prostitutes and a eunuch (the hijras)".
- "Dera Sacha Sauda opens 400-bed multi-speciality hospital". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- "A boon for the Grassroots- Shah Satnam Ji Speciality Hospital". Sachi Shiksha. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- "SC acts on Dera Sacha Sauda petition for eunuchs, grants legal status". Sachi Shiksha. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- {http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/faith-and-rituals/supreme-court-recognizes-the-transgenders-eunuchs-as-the-third-gender-efforts-by-revered-guruji}
- "Mass cleanliness drive by Dera sect in Jaipur". The Times Of India. 2 November 2011.
- India, Press Trust of (3 October 2016). "Raj min, Dera chief joins cleanliness drive". Retrieved 10 November 2016 – via Business Standard.
- "Punjab election move? BJPs Vasundhara Raje makes Gurmeet Ram Rahims MSG- The Warrior tax-free in Rajasthan". Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- "Two days after Swachh results, Khattar takes part in Sirsa dera head's cleanliness drive in Karnal". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- Jacob Copeman 2009, pp. 105–106.
- Jacob Copeman 2009, pp. 108–109.
- Jacob Copeman 2009, p. 111,115.
- Jacob Copeman 2009, p. 120.
Bibiliography
- Jacob Copeman (2009). Veins of Devotion: Blood Donation and Religious Experience in North India. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-4449-6.
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External links
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| Hindu temples in Haryana | |
|---|---|
| Ambala |
|
| Bhiwani | |
| Charkhi Dadri |
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| Faridabad |
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| Fatehabad |
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| Gurgaon | |
| Hisar | |
| Jhajjar | |
| Jind | |
| Kaithal | |
| Karnal | |
| Kurukshetra | |
| Mahendragarh | |
| Nuh | |
| Palwal |
|
| Panchkula | |
| Panipat | |
| Rewari |
|
| Rohtak |
|
| Sirsa |
|
| Sonipat |
|
| Yamuna Nagar | |