Dera Sacha Sauda

Dera Sacha Sauda
AbbreviationDSS
Established29 April 1948; 76 years ago (1948-04-29)
FounderMastana Balochistani
Type
  • NGO
  • Non-profit social welfare and spiritual organisation
Registration no.5234[1]
Legal statusActive
Purpose
[2][non-primary source needed]
HeadquartersSirsa, Haryana, India
Coordinates29°32′01″N 75°01′04″E / 29.533593°N 75.017702°E / 29.533593; 75.017702
Region served
Successor
Shah Satnam Singh
Current leader
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh
Websitewww.derasachasauda.org

Dera Sacha Sauda ("Camp of the True Deal";[4] colloquially DSS) is an Indian non-governmental organization described as a "religious cult"[5] and "non-profit social welfare dera" that was established on 29 April 1948 by Mastana Balochistani, an ascetic follower of Baba Sawan Singh (the second Satguru of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB)),[6] as a centre for religious learning. After Baba Sawan Singh, the movement split into four groups, one of them led by Mastana Balochistani. After the death of Mastana Balochistani, his movement was split into three groups, with Satnam Singh leading the Sirsa group, who selected Gurmeet Ram Rahim to be his successor. Dera Sacha Sauda's main centre is situated in the city of Sirsa in Haryana state, northern India.[7][8] The organisation has 46 ashrams (divisions) across India and other countries.[3]

Under the leadership of Mastana Balochistani, 25 Ashrams were established in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, where Naam method of Meditation was taught to the followers who accepted three principles for the rest of their life: No consumption of meat, egg or gelatin, no consumption of alcohol, drugs, tobacco etc. and no adultery or illicit sex. He also laid the foundation of the main ashram in 1948 and coined the expression "Dhan Dhan Satguru Tera Hi Asra" (Blessed are you the true guru, you are my shelter) widely used by the Dera.[9][clarification needed] Shah Satnam Singh lead the Dera from 1963 to 1990. He was succeeded by controversial Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in 1990, who added more than a dozen ashrams and made Dera a much more visible organization.

The current leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who claims to have more than 60 million followers worldwide,[10] is a controversial figure in India and has been convicted for murder and rape.[11][12][13] On 25 August 2017, a special CBI court in the city of Panchkula, Haryana, found him guilty of raping two Dera sadhvis (female followers).[14] Subsequently, the special CBI court sentenced Singh for a period of 20-year prison term on 28 August 2017.[15] In January 2019, Singh was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapatti.[16] In October 2021, he was awarded another life imprisonment for the murder of a DSS follower Ranjit Singh.[17]

  1. ^ "State-wise list of VOs/NGOs signed up on the NGO-PS - Haryana(1183)". 12 August 2004. Retrieved 9 November 2016.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ DSS (11 May 2013). "About Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) – Social Welfare & Spiritual Organization". Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b "The Baba on song - Rise and spread of Dera Sacha Sauda". The Indian Express. 26 October 2014. Archived from the original on 23 January 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  4. ^ Copeman, Jacob (2009). Veins of Devotion: Blood Donation and Religious Experience in North India. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0813544496. "Dera"—the extended residential site of an influential figure—has similar connotations to "ashram," while "Sacha Sauda" means literally true deal or dealings, and is an allusion to the fact that monetary gifts from devotees are not accepted by the organization, which claims to be fully autarkic.
  5. ^ Guruswamy, Mohan (28 August 2017). "Why religious cults such as Dera Sacha Sauda are so popular". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  6. ^ Lane, David (12 December 2015). Split i the Radha Soami Movement, The Sach Khand Journal of Radhasoami Studies, Dec 12, 2015, Issue 10, p.11. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-329-75562-8. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  7. ^ Largest Blood Donation. Guinness Book of World Records Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Dera again makes it to Guinness Book of World Records Collects 43,732 units of blood in a day". The Tribune. 15 November 2010. Archived from the original on 20 December 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  9. ^ "धन-धन सतगुरु...की शर्त पर अकालियों को डेरे का समर्थन, 02 Feb 2017". Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Ram Rahim Singh: fatal clashes follow Indian guru's rape conviction". The Guardian. 25 August 2017. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Baba Bling: Meet Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the Dera chief who thrives on controversies". 25 August 2017. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  13. ^ "This Isn't Ram Rahim Singh's First Brush With Court And Controversy". 25 August 2017. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  14. ^ "Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim found guilty of rape, CBI court ruling comes after 14 years". The Times of India. 26 August 2017. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  15. ^ "Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim sentenced to 20 years in jail". The Times of India. 28 August 2017. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  16. ^ "Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh sentencing HIGHLIGHTS: Dera chief, three others awarded life imprisonment". The Indian Express. 17 January 2019. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  17. ^ Team, BS Web (18 October 2021). "Ranjit Singh murder case: Dera chief and four others get life imprisonment". www.business-standard.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.