Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh walked out of Rohtak’s Jattvibearia jail on a 21-day furlough on Tuesday morning, drawing sharp criticism from panthic groups and Opposition leaders in Punjab where Assembly elections are due in a few months.The timing of Ram Rahim’s release has also drawn attention as political parties have begun gearing up for the elections. BJP leaders from Haryana have already been roped in to campaign for the party in Punjab.Ram Rahim is serving a 20-year jail sentence for raping two of his disciples. Since his conviction in August 2017, he has been granted furlough or parole 17 times, spending a total of 457 days outside prison. This is his third release this year. He was granted a parole for 30 days in May and 40 days in January.The development assumes significance as the dera has a huge following in Haryana, Rajasthan and parts of Punjab’s politically significant Malwa region, including Patiala, Sangrur, Bathinda, Mansa, Barnala, Gidderbaha, and parts of Ludhiana and Moga. Despite Ram Rahim’s conviction, his followers continue to be viewed as a disciplined vote bank.While political parties avoid publicly aligning with the dera because of its controversies, the covert support of its followers can swing at least 15 to 20 Assembly constituencies in a closely fought election.Political parties also remain wary of a backlash from Sikh groups over the 2015 Faridkot sacrilege incidents and the dera chief’s controversial appearance in 2007 in attire resembling that of Guru Gobind Singh. Historically, the dera has backed the Congress, BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal. The AAP, too, has faced allegations of seeking the dera’s support.Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj said “those jailed for heinous crimes such as rape were released frequently as if they were on a picnic”. He said in contrast, ‘Bandi Singhs’ who had completed their sentences continued to remain behind bars.Gargaj said Jagtar Singh Hawara, who was serving a life sentence for the assassination of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh in 1995, had not been granted parole even to meet his ailing mother. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria twice to seek a 10-day parole for Hawara.The Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, which has been protesting at the Chandigarh-Mohali border since January 7, 2023, demanding the release of Bandi Singhs, called the move “discriminatory”. The group held a protest march on August 15 and enforced a Punjab bandh on August 21 to press for its demand.Akali Dal Waris Punjab De leader and Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali questioned why “rules were bent” for the dera chief but applied rigidly to Sikh prisoners”. “The people of Punjab are watching and both BJP and AAP will have to pay a price for this in the elections,” he said.Tarsem Singh, father of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, alleged double standards. “While the rape convict enjoys routine paroles and furloughs, my son, who represents a Lok Sabha constituency, has been denied parole even to attend a Parliament session to raise issues concerning his constituency,” he said.Gurcharan Singh, Hawara’s foster father, said, “While Ram Rahim is being granted back-to-back paroles and furloughs, Sikh prisoners are portrayed as a national threat despite having completed their sentences. This is insensitive.”The dera chief left the jail at around 6.05 am in an SUV amid tight security. He is expected to stay at his Sirsa-based dera headquarters during the furlough period.Ram Rahim’s latest furlough comes less than two months after he returned to the jail on June 26 on the completion of a 30-day parole. In August 2025, he was released on a 40-day parole reportedly to celebrate his birthday.In January 2025, he was granted a 30-day parole ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly elections. He was allowed a 50-day furlough in January 2024, for 21 days in August 2024 and for 20 days in October 2024 before the Haryana Assembly poll.The dera head was released for a day for the first time in October 2020 and then on a 12-hour parole in May 2021, both times to visit his ailing mother. He was then released for 21 days in February 2022, 30 days in June and 40 days in October. Thereafter, he was released for 40 days in January 2023, 30 days in July and 21 days in November.Ram Rahim was also convicted by a special CBI court in 2019 in the murder case of journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati and sentenced to life imprisonment. He later challenged the conviction before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which acquitted him in the case in March this year. Chhatrapati’s son has challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court.Ram Rahim was also sentenced to life imprisonment by a CBI court in 2021 in the murder case of his former manager Ranjit Singh. But the High Court acquitted him and other accused in May 2024.