Dera chief verdict:Army in Sirsa; police carry out flag march

The Army was called out in Sirsa today, ahead of a court verdict in a rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, even as security was tightened, with senior police personnel carrying out a flag march outside the sect's headquarter here.
The move comes hours before the verdict by a CBI court in Panchkula where the sect chief will appear in connection with the case today.
"Two companies of Army from Hisar district have been called out to maintain law and order in Sirsa," a top police officer said.
"Police carried out flag march outside Dera headquarters, led by top officials. Security has been beefed up to maintain law and order in the district," he added.

A Dera spokesperson had yesterday claimed that around five lakh followers have arrived in the sect headquarters here.
Fearing trouble, especially if the verdict goes against the controversial Dera chief, thousands of jawans, including 15,000 paramilitary troops, have been deployed in sensitive areas across Punjab and Haryana.