Slain journalist's son demands death penalty for Ram Rahim

Gurugram: In 2002 when Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chattrapati was shot dead, his elder son Anshul was in his early 20's.

Since then when Anshul, who is also a journalist, has been actively pursuing the case relentlessly for justice. He did not lose hope even at the time when the popularity of Gurmeet Ram Rahim was at its peak.

Becoming emotional after the judgement by Judge Jagdeep Singh, Anshul highlighted that how the trust in the system made him carry on even though at times he felt that their case had been weakened. Anshul who saw Gurmeet Ram Rahim's reaction through video conferencing highlighted that the verdict had left him in shock and despair.

After the verdict, he demanded that on January 17, when the court will pronounce the quantum of punishment to the self-styled Godman, he should be awarded the death penalty.

"At a time when the popularity of Gurmeet was at its peak, my father exposed how the female followers inside the Sirsa Ashram were being sexually exploited. He carried on with his task despite receiving a lot of threats. He ultimately had to pay with his life fighting for truth. A person of this nature should be given death sentence as he (Gurmeet Ram Rahim) destroyed the lives of those people who questioned his authority," said Anshul Chaturvedi.

Besides being involved in the court case that has lasted for more than 16 years, Anshul also had a responsibility to take care of his two sisters Kranti and Shreyasi, brother Aridaman and his mother Kulwant Kaur. In 2005, he married Navneet and together they have a son named Adil and daughter Angel.

The jailed self-styled Godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim and three others have been convicted in the murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, by a special court in Haryana.

"All the four accused have been convicted," HPS Verma, lawyer for the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI, said after judge Jagdeep Singh gave the verdict in Panchkula.

Ram Chander Chhatrapati was shot dead in October 2002 outside his house after his newspaper ''Poora Sach'' published an anonymous letter narrating how women were being sexually exploited by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. The case was registered in 2003 and handed over to the CBI in 2006.