Beas-based Dera Radha Soami names Jasdeep Gill as spiritual head, retracts hours later
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, September 2
In a dramatic turn of events, the spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), Gurinder Singh Dhillon (69), nominated his distant relative Jasdeep Singh Gill (45) as his successor with “immediate effect”, but later decided to continue to hold his position.
Dera lineage
- Gurinder Singh Dhillon took over as the dera head at the age of 36 in 1990 from his maternal uncle Charan Singh, who died of heart failure
- Dhillon has two sons — Gurpreet Singh Dhillon and Gurkirat Singh Dhillon. Both are settled abroad
- Previous heads: Jaimal Singh (till 1903) | Sawan Singh (1903-48)
| Jagat Singh (1948-51) | Charan Singh (1951-90) | GS Dhillon
(1990 onwards)
Who is Jasdeep Singh Gill
- Jasdeep Singh Gill, a distant relative of Gurinder Singh Dhillon, is based in Mumbai
- He worked with Cipla as chief strategy officer and senior management official from 2019-24
- Gill has done PhD from University of Cambridge, Master’s from MIT, Bachelor’s from the IIT-Delhi
- Sources say his father Sukhdev Singh, an ex-serviceman, manages dera events across the country
Political importance
- High-profile politicians often visit the dera, especially during the elections
- In November 2022, prior to the Himachal poll, PM Narendra Modi paid a visit to Beas
- LK Advani, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Nitin Gadkari, Arvind Kejriwal, Mohan Bhagwat are among those who visited the dera
Over Rs 5,000 cr property
Sources say the dera has property worth over ~5,000 crore, including land of its centres
RSSB secretary Devender Kumar Sikri, in an initial communication to the followers, said, “Revered Sant Satguru and patron of Radha Soami Satsang Beas Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon has nominated Jasdeep Singh Gill, son of Sukhdev Singh Gill, as patron. He will succeed Babaji with immediate effect from September 2.”
The communication read, “Gill shall also succeed Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon as the Sant Satguru and will have authority of giving initiation (naam)… Babaji has expressed that like he has received full support and love of the sangat after Huzoor Maharaj ji, he has wished and requested that the same love and affection be given to Jasdeep Singh Gill in carrying out his sewa as patron and Sant Satguru.”
Dera sources said due to some “miscommunication”, resentment brewed among the followers over the change of guard and they started gathering on the dera premises in Amritsar. Consequently, the RSSB authorities had to make an announcement in the evening that Dhillon would continue to be the spiritual head till the time he steps down and Gill would be the patron. Sikri clarified, “Gill was made patron of the RSSB as part of the succession strategy. He will succeed Babaji as Sant Satguru only as and when the latter steps down. Only then, he would have the authority of giving initiation (naam). For now, he would look after administrative affairs.”
Sources said Dhillon had not been keeping well as he was suffering from cancer and some heart ailment. Sikri said Dhillon was in good health and would continue to deliver satsangs and bestow initiation. “Gill will succeed as Sant Satguru in future and will have the authority of bestowing initiation. Till then, he will remain in attendance with Dhillon for the satsangs,” he added.
