The fallout of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's conviction showed the ugly side of religious fanaticism.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the self-styled chief of the sect Dera Sacha Sauda, was
convicted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday in a rape case that dates back to 2002. What followed was
violence, arson and rioting in a garish display of
the religious fanaticism that has been promoted over the past few years even by TV networks. Thirty-one people died and scores were injured. Public and private property worth crores was destroyed. The scenes echoed the disgraceful vandalism Haryana had witnessed only a year ago during the Jat agitation.
Watch a special edition of Ravish Kumar's show Prime Time on the fallout of letting religion dictate politics and law.
Note: Hindi audio.