If one has to decipher the emotion a place collectively depicts, for Gurusar Modia, it could be one of dejection. Dejection writ large post the realization that the man they revered as a saint, no less than a god, has been termed a demon.
This sleepy village in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district wears a sullen look. There are posters, hoardings, big life sized billboards of Gurmeet Singh, later rechristened as Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan, the self proclaimed godman, staring down soon after one enters the village.
He was born on August 15 in 1967, got married at an early age of 15 - 16 and by the time he was 23, he already had three children, including two daughters. And in 1990, an ill and ageing Satanam Shah, the second chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, decided to bequeath the Dera gaddi to him.
India Today visited the village to find out the reason behind the cult following that this man continued to have enjoyed despite the grave accusations against him. The blind faith that made people look the other way despite the court pronouncing him guilty. The kind that made people so violent that they were willing to kill or die on the day the verdict holding him guilty of rape was announced by the court in Panchkula.
On the face of Roopsingh Sidhu, the man who taught him from class 5th till 10th, sense of disbelief is unmissable. Like most houses in this village, there are pictures of Gurmeet Singh across walls in Roopsingh's home.
"He is a very kind person and when it came to studies, was first in studies as well. Otherwise, had lot of interest in cultural programmes, sports and academics. There was never a complaint against him in school," Roopsingh said.
Rajaram, a man with grey beard and a heavy voice, tells how he spent time with Gurmeet Singh in school as they happened to be classmates during 9th and 10th. Though of the same age, Rajaram has no hesitation in calling Gurmeet Singh as 'pitaji'. It seems referring to the rape convict by any other name is blasphemous for him.
An attempt to tell him that there have been serious accusations of rape, murder, castration of sadhus against him are met with palpable cynicism. Teary eyed, he starts recounting how the man has done a lot of good things for the village. He says how he used to smoke but left it due to 'pitaji's' influence.
"He was very nice during childhood, was of religious belief, was cultured, good in studies and was one who used to take Ram's name. These allegations have been completely baseless, are allegations without any foundation," Rajaram, Gurmeet's childhood friend, said.
The village has some relatives of Gurmeet Singh who still stay there. And for them, Gurmeet Singh's behaviour did not depict any such tendencies during the more than two decades period that he stayed there. Although his paternal uncle does tell India Today that he is unaware if he changed after leaving from there.
"Not at all. Had studied with us till 10th. Has grown up here. Has stayed a lot here in this house because my three children are older than him. Used to stay here. There was nothing like that in him. Were innocent children and had interest in studies. After he left from here, I cannot say," said Gurbaux Singh, Gurmeet's paternal uncle.
There are people in plenty in this Sri Ganganagar village who have revered him for close to 30 years since he got the Dera gaddi, and despite the court's verdict pronouncing Gurmeet Singh as guilty of rape, there is no dearth of those in Gurusar Modia for whom the accusations against him are still anything but true.
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