Vipassana Insan has been chairperson of the Dera Sacha Sauda for more than eight years. But after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s conviction for rape, his son Jasmeet Insan is informally holding the reins of the Dera. Gurmeet’s wife Harjeet Kaur is also playing a behind-the-scenes role, wielding power through Jasmeet.
However, no chief of the Dera has been a blood relative of the previous chief. So, when Gurmeet Singh adopted Honeypreet Insan, everyone thought she had a high chance of succeeding him. But, Honeypreet, too, is behind bars today.
This has brought the focus back on 35-year-old Vipassana. An alumna of Shah Satnam Ji Educational Institutions with a master’s in business administration, Vipassana keeps a low profile, in stark contrast to Honeypreet. She has full faith in guruji and says he will continue to be the leader of the Dera. Edited excerpts:
Who is the real leader of the Dera today? Is it still Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh?
Yes, absolutely. The leader of the Dera Sacha Sauda is Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan and [he] will continue to be so.
Why do crores of people have so much faith in him?
Because of his humanitarian teachings of working selflessly for society. He teaches people to serve society with passion and dedication. Guruji has been practising what he preaches in every sense and is working to uplift every section of society. He is preaching the teachings of every religion through his satsangs. The Dera has been a true confluence of all religions. Here, people from every religion learn to connect with God and follow the path of humanity, without changing their religious practices. So people have immense faith in guruji, whose teachings have transformed them into better human beings.
Has the work of the Dera been affected after the police crackdown?
I cannot comment on that. But the Dera is into all kinds of social work and 133 welfare activities are undertaken by the followers. These include rehabilitation of eunuchs and prostitutes, women empowerment, anti-drug campaigns, youth empowerment, cleanliness drives, blood donation campaigns every quarter, financial assistance to the poor and needy, caring for the environment through tree planting drives, and post-death human body donation and skin donation for transplantation. This list is continuously increasing.
How is Honeypreet Insan related to the Dera? What has been her role?
Honeypreet, as we all know, is Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan’s daughter. She is also the codirector of his movies, alongside him. She also keenly participates in all work undertaken by the Dera and regularly contributes towards welfare work.
It is alleged that Dera followers hatched a conspiracy to free him and that Honeypreet masterminded it?
No, definitely not. There has been no conspiracy to free guruji in the first place, so there is no question of her participating in any conspiracy. Guruji has been a firm believer in our judicial system and he has always respected it. He has been preaching the same, and is of the firm opinion that, sooner or later, justice will prevail. And so all these theories don’t have any basis.
