The special CBI court will convene in Rohtak jail today to pronounce the quantum of sentence on rape convict god-man Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh who was found guilty on Friday of raping his women followers. He faces a minimum of seven years' prison sentence.
50-year-old Gurmeet Ram Rahim was taken to Rohtak jail instead of the Ambala central jail amid concerns of law and order. His followers went on a rampage in Panchkula after the court pronounced him guilty on Friday, leading to 30 deaths and over 200 people being injured.
To avoid any law and order situations at the time of his sentencing, the Punjab and Haryana high court directed the CBI judge Jagdeep Singh to hold a special court inside the Rohtak jail today. The high court has also directed the administration to use force, if necessary to deal with any untoward incidents.
"Our top priority is to ensure tight vigil during sentencing... Security personnels have been given a free hand to react according to the need of the situation," a senior police officer told NDTV.
There are multiple layers of security blanket around Rohtak city with 30 companies of paramilitary forces deployed on guard. After the violence on Friday, no dera followers are being allowed to enter Rohtak now.
Nearly 150,000 followers of the controversial dera head had gathered in Panchkula on Friday ahead of the court verdict in the rape case. Many dera followers turned violent, clashed with the police and resorted to arson and ransacked buildings and set ablaze hundreds of vehicles after the verdict against Ram Rahim.
During the searches at the sect’s properties in Punjab and Haryana, police recovered sticks, rods and material to make petrol bombs. Inflammable materials and chemicals were also recovered from a fire truck that was part of Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s cavalcade on Friday.
Ahead of today’s hearing in Rohtak, all the districts of Punjab and Haryana are on high alert, with thirteen districts in Punjab’s Malwa region having a complete shut down of educational institutions as a precautionary measure. After Friday’s violence, the army was called out in ten districts of Punjab to maintain law and order. The dera has a sizeable following in Punjab’s Malwa region.
Coming down heavily on the Haryana government, the Punjab and Haryana high court said it let Panchkula burn for political gains. The court also ordered the administration to seize the properties of dera to recover the losses caused by the rampaging mob.
While many smaller ashrams owned by the Dera Sacha Sauda have been sealed by the administration and properties attached, the administration has so far not been able to take possession of the sect headquarters in Sirsa. According to media reports, thousands of followers of the sect are still squatting on the 700-acre premises of the ashram and the administration is negotiating with them to vacate it.
Nearly 1000 dera followers have been arrested so far since Friday.
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