Haryana Police on Friday claimed that Honeypreet Insan, the ‘adopted daughter’ of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, is misleading the police in the investigation of her role in 25 August violence in Panchkula and elsewhere.
Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of over Rs 30 lakh. His conviction led to violence in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, leaving 38 people dead and another 264 injured. Isolated incidents of violence were also reported from Delhi and several places in Punjab.
Panchkula Police Commissioner AS Chawla told media that Honeypreet is “misleading” the police and was evasive in her replies during the investigation.
Chawla said efforts were on to nab other two top functionaries of the sect, Aditya Insan and Pawan Insan, who were also on the run since August 25.
“We will arrest the other people on the run as well,” he said.
Police officials said raids were being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and some other places to arrest those behind the violence.
Honeypreet was on Thursday taken to Bathinda– where she was hiding before being nabbed– for investigations into charges of sedition, a day after a court in Panchkula sent her to six days police remand.
Honeypreet, whose real name is Priyanka Taneja, who remained fugitive for 38 days after she was booked by the Haryana Police on charge of sedition, was arrested on Tuesday from the Zirakpur-Patiala highway, about 15 km from Chandigarh.
Also read: Punjab Police shielded Honeypreet, delaying her arrest: Khattar
The court had in September issued arrest warrants against top Dera functionaries — Honeypreet, Aditya Insan and Pawan Insan— after being charged of sedition, inciting violence and being involved in a conspiracy to help Ram Rahim escape following his conviction by a CBI court.
(With agency inputs)