Sunil Sangwan: BJP Haryana MLA, Ex-Jailer Who Gave Ram Rahim 6 Paroles (image-Facebook/Sunil Sangwan)
The BJP has a new MLA in Haryana’s Dadri assembly constituency. A former jail superintendent, Sunil Sangwan, won against his nearest rival, Congress candidate Manisha Sangwan, by a margin of 1,957 votes. Sangwan is also the ex-Haryana prison official who granted six paroles to Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
This is the first time the saffron party has won the Dadri assembly seat.
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The former superintendent of Sunariya Jail in Rohtak, where Ram Rahim was lodged on charges of rape and murder, Sanwan retired from the post shortly before the Haryana assembly elections and joined the BJP. His application for voluntary retirement from the post was approved in a jiffy by the state government on September 1.
Sangwan is the son of former minister Satpal Sangwan, who quit Congress three months ago to join the BJP.
The Dera Sacha Sauda chief was given a 21-day furlough in September—his 10th in the past two years. The convicted rapist was released on October 2, three days before Haryana went to vote. Following his release, several media reports surfaced of his followers, who are spread across six districts, being told to vote for the BJP.
Reportedly, the message was conveyed to his followers at a satsang hosted at Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa on the night of October 3, two days before the day of voting.
Congress had told the Election Commission that his release by the state government would violate the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in place during an election.
Ram Rahim has been serving a 20-year sentence for the rape of his female disciples since August 25, 2017, and two life sentences since January 2019 and October 2021 for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapti and former Dera manager Ranjit Singh, respectively.
Also Read | 15th Parole In 4 Years: Dera Chief’s Parole Connection With Polls
Notably, the Dera chief has been a vocal supporter of the ruling BJP since 2014. Several of the convicted rapists paroles and furloughs coincide with elections in Haryana and other states.
The Dera chief, who has a substantial following in Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, was granted a 50-day parole in January, just weeks before the general election. Ram Rahim was also released for three weeks in November last year, shortly before the Rajasthan election.
With the 20-day release, he will be out of jail for a total period of 275 days in the past four years.
The Dadri victory was one of 48 assembly seats by the BJP candidates that helped the party to pull off a thrilling and surprising comeback Tuesday evening to win a third straight Assembly election in the state. This is the first time any political party has won three consecutive Assembly elections in the state. The Congress, despite the initial lead, trailed behind with 37 seats while the INLD secured two, and the independents three assembly seats.
