JOIN USArmy on standby ahead of Dera chief sentencing
Amid elaborate security arrangements, the army has been put on standby ahead of Monday’s pronouncement of the quantum of sentence in the Dera Sacha Sauda rape case.
Official reports on Sunday said that in Sirsa, which is the headquarters of the sect, devotees may resort to arson, breach of peace and tranquility, leading to damage to public and private properties. The sect chief was on Friday convicted of rape charges by a CBI court in a 15-year-old case.
The ground situation in violence-ravaged Panchkula remains peaceful, but tense. Haryana DGP B S Sandhu said no incidents of violence have been reported in the last 24 hours. He said, as of now curfew continues to be enforced in Sirsa only.
CBI judge Jagdeep Singh, who will be flown to Rohtak on Monday, is likely to pronounce the quantum of sentence by 2.30 pm inside the Rohtak jail, which has been designated as the court. The convicted chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh faces a minimum of seven years in jail or up to life imprisonment.
There are fears of a repeat of Friday’s violence in places which have a strong presence of Dera supporters. The death toll has gone up to 38 so far. All educational institutions, including government and private schools, colleges and other institutions in Panchkula, Rohtak, Kaithal, Ambala, Bhiwani and Fatehabad will remain closed in view of the quantum of punishment to be announced Monday.
The Haryana and Punjab governments have extended the suspension of mobile internet services, including all SMS services on mobile networks till around noon on Tuesday.
There are 131 Dera establishments in Haryana alone; most of these have been sanitised by the police in the last two days, something they should have done routinely to keep tab on such sects.
The government has drawn flak from various quarters, including the high court, for its failure to deal with the situation in the desired manner.
An AK-47 assault rifle, 72 petrol bombs and other weapons have been recovered from Dera followers. A fire tender of the sect was also confiscated on Sunday.
Sources said the vehicle may have been custom made from inside to store petrol. As many as 200 packets of red chilly powder have also been recovered.A few video recordings have come to the fore that point towards the conspiracy angle to disrupt law and order in the state.
The police said they have taken cognizance of all such video recordings and are verifying the veracity of the clips.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said no compensation would be given by his government to law breakers from his state who were killed in the Panchkula carnage.