AIPWA General Secretary Meena Tiwari in a statement issued on March 7 said that Ramchandra Chhatrapati was the courageous journalist whose reporting exposed the truth about Ram Rahim. It was Chhatrapati who published the letter that revealed the rape and sexual exploitation of sadhvis (Hindi female ascetics) inside the Ram Rahim’s dera. The publication of this letter led to a CBI investigation which found Ram Rahim guilty in the rape case, for which he remains in jail. Ramchandra Chhatrapati was later shot and killed outside his home.
She pointed out that while the court upheld the convictions of other accused in the murder case, it is shocking that the main accused, Ram Rahim, has been declared innocent.
She said that the government and the courts have already shown repeated leniency towards Ram Rahim, a convict in rape and murder cases, by granting him parole on multiple occasions and allowing him to remain out of jail. Acquitting him of all charges in the murder case amounts to a complete mockery of justice.
AIPWA has demanded that the government immediately intervene in the matter and move a higher court to ensure that Ram Rahim’s punishment in the case is upheld.
Meena Tiwari said that justice for Ramchandra Chhatrapati is essential for the defence of press freedom and for the fight against sexual violence and the abuse of power.
