Sikh preacher booked for 2012 rape-murder

CHANDIGARH: Following a rap on the knuckles by Punjab and Haryana HC, Patiala police have booked Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale, who heads a prominent dera in Punjab, on charges of rape and murder of a woman in 2012.

The FIR was registered on Dec 7 under IPC sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation), based on a complaint lodged by the deceased woman's brother on May 24, 2012. Police have also issued show-cause notices to the then SHO, Ashok Kumar, who is now an SP-rank officer, and then DSP Sewa Singh, who later retired as SP, for negligence in the matter by not taking any action on the complaint received in the case 12 years ago.

In his petition before HC, the victim's brother had sought a fair investigation by CBI or an SIT headed by a IPS officer into the circumstances leading to the death of his sister, who was allegedly raped and poisoned inside the Dhadrianwale dera. The petitioner alleged that poison was detected in the postmortem report, but police had taken no action to date.


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