How Was Honeypreet Arrested? There Are Two Different Versions

There’s the Haryana Police’s version. And then there’s another ‘unofficial’ version that tells a different story.

On 3 October, the Haryana Police finally ended the hide-and-seek game with Honeypreet Insan – the ‘adopted daughter’ of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim – who was on the run for 37 days.

Honeypreet was charged with sedition in connection with violence in Panchkula that followed Ram Rahim’s conviction in two rape cases on 25 August. More than a month later, she has now been arrested, and sent to a six-day police remand by the Panchkula court.

Interestingly, Honeypreet was arrested within 24 hours of her TV interviews on 2 October. The police apparently caught her around 3 pm the next day when she was travelling in an Innova car on Zirakpur-Patiala road, merely 10 kms from Panchkula.

So did the Punjab Police first nab her and then hand her over to the Haryana Police? This is what Manvir Singh, DCP of Panchkula, had to say:

Not at all, the Haryana Police first arrested her. We got a strong tip-off about her and accordingly, we acted on it and succeeded in arresting her.

Was it so easy for the cops to arrest her? Well, that’s the Haryana Police’s official version. There’s another ‘unofficial’ version doing the rounds.

‘Unofficial’ Version

Sources told The Quint that Honeypreet was being sheltered by Harminder Singh Jassi, the Congress MLA from Bathinda, who is closely connected to the Dera. Jassi's daughter was married to Ram Rahim’s son.

So what happened in the last few days that led to her arrest?

The sources said that after the Delhi High Court rejected Honeypreet’s bail on 26 September, she knew she couldn’t escape arrest any longer. Hence, along with Jassi, Honeypreet planned her arrest with the help of a senior Punjab Police officer. Apparently, she was in the Punjab Police’s custody since 2 October.

Then why isn’t the Punjab Police taking any credit for her arrest?

The sources claimed that the senior Punjab Police officer had apparently arranged for Honeypreet’s interview with two news channels just a day before her arrest on Jassi’s order. That means she gave the interviews when she was in the Punjab Police’s custody – which is illegal. Probably, this is the reason, why the Punjab Police is keeping itself out of it.

When The Quint asked DCP Manvir Singh whether the Innova car, in which Honeypreet was found and thereafter arrested, is owned by Congress MLA Jassi, he evaded the question.

It’s too early for us to comment on this. Please allow us to investigate. 

Manvir Singh, DCP, Panchkula

Apparently, a couple of weeks ago, Bhupinder Singh Gora – Punjab Congress Secretary – had blamed MLA Jassi for the disappearance of Honeypreet.

The Quint tried to reach out to MLA Jassi for his comment. The article will be updated once we get a response.

Questions Cops Asked Honeypreet

According to police sources, Honeypreet was bombarded with questions.

Immediately after her arrest, she was taken to the Panchkula Sector 6 police station. Along with Honeypreet, the police arrested another Dera follower, Sukhdeep Kaur, who is a resident of Bathinda. She was with Honeypreet for almost three weeks. Kaur’s family lived at the Dera’s headquarters in Sirsa.

According to sources, here are some of the questions the cops asked Honeypreet:

Where did you go from Sunariya jail?

I was scared, so I went to my parents.

Why didn’t you surrender before the police?

I was charged with sedition, I was scared, and I didn’t know what to do. My father (Ram Rahim) was in jail, so I was very tensed and unable to decide what to do.

What was Ram Rahim’s role in Panchkula violence?

I have no knowledge about it. I never heard ‘Papaji’ planning violence in Panchkula.

Who informed you about the police raids beforehand so that you managed to escape from all places, including Badmair, Shri Ganganagar, Gurusar, Modia, Udaipur, Gurugram, UP and Delhi?

I had no idea about the police raids in all these places. Neither was I running away nor did I go to all these places. I was staying at my ‘sevadar’ Sukhdeep Kaur’s residence.

Did Harminder Singh Jassi help you hide in Bathinda all these weeks?

I didn’t meet Harminder Singh Jassi after 25 August, so he had no role to play in helping me hide.

Then what was Jassi’s security guard doing at Gurusar Modia when the police raided that place? We have information that before the raid, you escaped with him in his personal car.

(Honeypreet remained silent)

There are, of course, varying versions to Honeypreet’s arrest. Certainly, the truth behind her arrest is unlikely to come to light.