Chandigarh
Rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is being kept as a common prisoner and his health is fine. This was stated by Dr KP Singh, Director General, Jails, here today.

Interacting with mediapersons, he said jail rules allowed two persons having blood relations to talk to a prisoner over the phone. The prisoner was allowed to talk after police verification of the phone numbers.

Ram Rahim had given two phone numbers, one of which was of Honeypreet and the other his own. Honeypreet’s number was not reachable and the jailed convict might have left his phone in the dera.

Since these numbers had not been verified so far, Ram Rahim was not able to use the convenience of any telephone call so far.

Dr Singh said the jail management was not letting every prisoner go to Ram Rahim’s barrack and only a few of them were allowed to go to the barrack due to security reasons. He said safety was being taken care of on the basis of reports of the police, intelligence and other security agencies.

In response to a question, the Director General said the prisoners who were giving interviews to the media after coming out of jail did not have access to the barrack of Ram Rahim. “Videography of all those who come to meet prisoners is being done,” he added.

Reports about the convict crying while keeping his head in his mother’s lap, who came to see him in jail, was misleading as glass and a net separated a visitor from the prisoner, he stated. She carried two religious books, a pair of slippers and some clothes for her son, he said.

Describing reports of the self-styled godman’s health and food appearing in the media for the past 25 days as completely concocted, he said the convict was living like a normal prisoner.

Answering a query about the work allocated to him in jail, Dr Singh said keeping in view the security scenario, the jail administration had decided to entrust him with farming. He would earn a daily wage of Rs 20, the Director General said. He had been given the task of growing vegetables on about 600 yards close to his barrack, Dr Singh said.

Ram Rahim was preparing for the task and would plant vegetables in the first week of October, he said. He was given some trees in front of the barrack for harvesting, Dr Singh added.