Honeypreet Insan.

CHANDIGARH: Coming out of hiding 39 days after violence rocked Panchkula following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in two rape cases, his adopted daughter Honeypreet Insan on Tuesday defended her ‘papa’ and their relationship.

Hours before her arrest, Honeypreet appeared on news channels and claimed that Gurmeet was innocent. “He will come out clean in both the cases, she said, adding that she did not leave the country since the dera chief’s conviction.

She also rubbished allegations levelled by ex-husband Vishwas Gupta. “I cannot understand how anyone can point fingers at the pious relations between a father and daughter. Can’t a father put his hand lovingly on his daughter’s head? Isn’t the father-daughter relation sacred? What proof have these people got to level such allegations? Please do not believe them,” she said.

“As far as Gupta in concerned, the chapter got over in 2011,” she said. Honeypreet has played Gurmeet’s love interest in multiple films that the dera head produced and starred in lead roles.

The woman, against whom a lookout notice and then an arrest warrant were issued, said charges levelled against her by Haryana Police were not true. “Was I present with the arsonists (during the mayhem in Panchkula on August 25)? How are they levelling such allegations,” she asked.

Honeypreet said she was with Ram Rahim Singh on August 25 discharging her duties as a daughter. “Every daughter supports her father...I went with him. Have you heard me uttering a word where I instigated people? I had gone there (to CBI court) with a hope that my father will return by the evening. But when he was held guilty, I went into depression. I was devastated,” she claimed.

She had accompanied Gurmeet from the Dera headquarters at Sirsa to the special court in Panchkula on August 25. After the dera chief’s conviction, she accompanied him in a chopper to Rohtak where he was lodged in a jail. “The authorities concerned had allowed me to accompany the dera head in the chopper to Rohtak. Later, so many things were said about it,” she said.

After August 25, Honeypreet had gone untraceable. She, however, claimed she was not running away from the law and was only trying to come to terms with Gurmeet’s conviction. “And then, I was devastated to hear that sedition charges have been slapped against me. I was completely shaken to hear such serious charges when in my life I have not even killed an ant,” she said.

On September 26, the Delhi High Court had dismissed her transit anticipatory bail plea. The court's order was based on the ground that she was evading arrest and hence, not entitled to any discretionary relief.

Asked about skeletons being buried inside the dera at Sirsa and the sect chief’s exploitation of female disciples, Honeypreet said, “Did anyone find skeletons? As regards what is being said about papa, he is innocent. We will move the high court and then the Supreme Court . We are confident that we will get justice.”

Honeypreet denied that she used to call the shots in the dera. “He (dera chief) used to hold satsang. Rest of the work was done by the management as work was divided. I was handling the movie department and direction,” she said.

She also said dubbed as wrong suggestions that she was not on good terms with the Gurmeet’s family.

