Born in Gurusarmodia village of Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan in 1967, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was still young when he rose
to become the president of Dera Sacha Sauda. He succeeded to the throne on September 23, 1990, during the lifetime of the then dera head — Shah Satnam Singh.
With him at the helm of affairs, the number of dera followers grew. Their ranks were not limited only to places in Punjab and Haryana, but even to the bordering areas of Rajasthan, including Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh. In fact, the dera built ashrams (Naam Ghar) in Gujarat, Maharashtra, HP, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Chandigarh. In the Malwa region, almost all towns, big or small, have a Naam Ghar.
The era also saw the sect embroiled in a number of contentious issues, especially those involving the dera chief. In 2003, an anonymous letter alleged sexual exploitation of young girls at the dera. Later, murder of a senior member of the dera and a Sirsa-based journalist set the rumour mills working overtime. Family members of the slain scribe moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, demanding a CBI probe into the role of dera in the murder. The case was handed over to the CBI. However, the CBI probe moved at a slow pace despite the HC pulling up the investigating agency. Also, political pressure and protests by dera followers did not help.
More recently, the dera courted trouble just before the Punjab assembly elections this year. Though it enjoyed the patronage of both the Akali and Congress leaders, the president issued an edict asking his followers to support Congress candidates. According to sources, this favour was extended after the party (Punjab Congress) promised relief in the CBI case. Post elections, there have been complaints of Akalis harassing dera men.