New Delhi: More than 4,200 people recommended 'Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan' for a Padma award in 2017, while the self-styled godman and now rape convict proposed his own name for the honour five times.
According to the list of recommendations or nominations for Padma Awards 2017, the Union home ministry received 18,768 applications. The highest 4,208 recommendations, including two from 'Saintgorge William Sonet' and 'India Saintgorge', both from Hissar in Haryana, were received for conferring any one of the three Padma awards on the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda chief.
All recommendations were marked in the name of 'Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan', also known as 'rockstar baba' and 'guru of bling', and almost all had come from Sirsa in Haryana, the headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda.
Gurmeet, who was sentenced to 20 years in jail for raping two followers this week, recommended himself five times. While his address was given as Sirsa three times, on the other two applications he gave Hissar in Haryana and Ganganagar in Rajasthan, where he was born.
According to the documents, of the five recommendations, one was for 'Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan' by 'Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji InsanSaintgorge'.
The overwhelming majority of those who recommended the Dera chief's name for the highest civilian honour in the country used single names like Abha, Aditya, Akbar, Alfez, Baljinder, Milky, Gajal, Komal, Jony, Jesse and Ishwar.
An Amit, based in Sirsa, recommended Gurmeet's name 31 times, and a Sunil nominated him 27 times.
The Padma awards seek to recognise works of distinction and exceptional achievements in different fields and disciplines such as art, literature and education, sports, medicine, social work, science and engineering, public affairs, civil service, trade and industry.
Anyone can nominate any person for the Padma Awards.
The nominations or recommendations for the awards can be received online only on the portal www.padmaawards.gov.in designed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Recommendations can also be made by state governments, UTs, ministries, departments of the government of India, Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan awardees, central and state ministers, chief ministers and governors of state, and Members of Parliament.
5 Hry cops, part of Dera chief's security, dismissed: Police
Chandigarh: Five Haryana policemen, who were part of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's security and were charged with sedition, were dismissed from service on Thursday, police officials said. Sedition and attempt to murder charges were slapped against seven persons, including the five police personnel, in charge of the Dera chief's security when he had arrived at Panchkula to appear in a CBI court on Friday. They had allegedly tried to free the Dera chief when he was brought outside the Panchkula Court complex, after a special CBI court convicted him in a 15-year-old rape case, the police had said.