Premis paid through nose for goods

Sangrur : Dera Sacha Sauda had a knack for making Premis shell out money for its social welfare initiatives. The followers not only had to make contributions (“parmarth”), but also pay hefty amounts for goods supplied from the headquarters at Sirsa. The USP (unique selling proposition) of the items was that these were “blessed” by dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
Sources said senior members of the sect used to bring vegetables and fruits grown on Ram Rahim’s residential premises (“gufa”). Devotees paid Rs 1,000-2,000 for a piece of capsicum, while potatoes and onions were sold at rates far higher than the market prices. A local dera follower, who works as a milk vendor, said: “I purchased an apple for Rs 500, a piece of capsicum for Rs 900, and onion at the rate of Rs 350 per kg. Members of district-level management committees brought ‘special’ vegetables, fruits and other items from the dera. We purchased these in an open auction at high rates so as to fund social welfare works.” Another Premi, a grocer who got a pair of shoes from the dera chief for doing sewa (service), stated that the sect’s Sangrur team procured three pieces of capsicum — grown in the “gufa” area — in 2015, but there were so many potential buyers that the price shot up to Rs 1,700 each. “A piece of jaggery fetched Rs 50,000. Bhangis (dera’s area leaders) collected Rs 50 lakh from the district with the sale of 100 pieces. I bought one too so as to boost collections,” a local shopkeeper said on the condition of anonymity. It is learnt that traders invested in souvenirs to cash in on the followers’ mania. Some local shopkeepers purchased chairs once used by the sect head for prices ranging from Rs 80,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh. A few Premis also bought two/four-wheelers with a Ram Rahim link at hefty rates.