India / Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim tests COVID-19 +ve, admitted in hospital

Gurugram: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has tested positive for Covid-19. The controversial godman was on Sunday rushed to a private hospital in Gurugram from Sunaria jail in Haryana's Rohtak district, where he is serving a 20-year sentence on charges of rape and murder.

On June 3, Singh had undergone some tests at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak after he complained of abdominal pain. He had refused to undergo Covid test at PGIMS Rohtak.

The 53-year-old sect head of the Sirsa-headquartered Dera was taken to Gurugram’s Medanta under heavy police escort for further tests on Sunday. A test at the hospital revealed he is Covid-positive.

Sunaria Jail Superintendent Sunil Sangwan told PTI over the phone that all tests related to Singh's condition could not be completed at PGIMS, Rohtak. When another top government hospital was approached in this regard, they said the tests were currently not being done due to the Covid-19 situation.

Later, it was suggested to the prison authorities that these tests could be done at Medanta Hospital. The permission for the same was granted, he said.

Among other tests, Singh had undergone an abdominal CT scan at PGIMS, Rohtak on Thursday.

In May, he was admitted to the government hospital after he complained of dizziness and blood pressure fluctuation. He was discharged after an overnight stay at the facility.

Convicted on August 25, 2017, the dera chief is serving a 20-year jail term for the rape of two women disciples, and life imprisonment for the murder of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.