Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) B S Sandhu on Saturday apprised that Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who has been convicted by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court, will receive the punishment through video conferencing.
Addressing the press conference, Sandhu said,"Our efforts remain to make judgement possible through video-conferencing, if the court says, then everything will take place in the jail."
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary of Haryana Depinder Singh Dhesi asserted that no special treatment is being provided to self-styled spiritual guru, who is in Sonaria jail, and added that action will be taken against those personnel who were lenient in their duties during the violence.
"Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim has not been given special treatment in jail. He has been kept like a normal prisoner. In the whole case, if anyone had done any sort of leniency in his duty, then required action will be taken. After 6:30 pm, neither Panchkula nor other parts of Haryana had faced any violation of law and order. Law and order is being completely maintained in the entire state," Dhesi told media here.
He added that the number of casualties in the incident which took place following the pronouncement of the Ram Rahim verdict, has reached 28 in Panchkula which include 24 men, three women and one child.
"Three deaths have been reported from Sirsa. The number of injured is 250 wherein 50 are police personnel and out of these 101 have been referred to hospitals outside Panchkula. As of now only 61 are under treatment and rest have been discharged. All those injured do not belong to Panchkula," he said.
Dhesi further said that 28 vehicles have been burnt down which also included government vehicles and two government buildings were also damaged, adding six private shops were also burnt down.
"Under eight different FIRs around 524 people have been arrested. The owners of the damaged vehicles can file a complaint and the State Government will compensate the entire expense. At the moment there are 101 companies of paramilitary which have been deployed by the State Government in Panchkula and Sirsa. Two cases of sedition have been filed till now," he added.
Meanwhile, pained with the massive upsurge in the city, post conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a 1999 rape case, the locals of Panchkula today termed the act of the former's devotees as 'terrorising'.
"What could be more terrorising than this, our own people are carrying such activity and are destructing our own property," said a local told ANI.
Expressing anguish over the destruction of the property, the local further said that the situation is very pathetic and nothing can be more painful than to see the people destructing their own city.
"They (devotees) are attacking the security personnel, vandalizing property and now will ask the government to compensate," he said.
"What preaching they have is clearly visible," he added.
Another local, residing in the area, accused the state government for their negligence, which led to chaos in the city and added that the state government should have let the Indian army take over from the beginning to avoid such situation.
"They should have taken the precautions. They should have taken stern actions beforehand and shouldn't have let the disciplines of Dera enter and gather in the city," she said.
The Punjab Chief Minister chaired a high-level meeting over law and order situation in the state.
Meanwhile, former Harayana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said that the violence that erupted in Haryana after the Ram Rahim's conviction could have been avoided and asked the State Government to resign.
Addressing the media, Hooda said that he has never seen such kind of ruckus in a government and asked the BJP-led Haryana Government to resign on "moral grounds."
On the High Court's comment that everybody let Panchkula burn for political gains, Hooda said, "When the High Court says this, then it really shows the failure of this government," and that the government should collectively resign."
Following are the updates related to the case:
- Notification on District Jail, Sunaria as place of sitting of CBI Court, Panchkula for pronouncement of quantum of sentence against Ram Rahim Singh.
- Deputy Advocate General Gurdass Singh Salwara sacked after he reportedly carried luggage of Ram Rahim Singh.
- People vacate Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram in Sirsa's Bajenka village on the orders of Police and Army and also being inspected in Haryana.
- Government cannot stop people from gathering in large numbers but the State (Haryana) should have :Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh
- Ram Rahim Singh won't be produced in Panchkula says Haryana DGP B S Sandhu.
- Curfew will be relaxed till 6:00 pm today, will assess situation, if everything remains peaceful will lift curfew in coming time says SSP Bhatinda.
- 17 casualties, post-mortem underway; 90 people were admitted last night, no case of bullet injury says CMO, Civil Hospital, Panchkula post Ram Rahim Verdict.
- Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh chaired a high-level meeting over law and order situation in the state Ram Rahim Verdict.
- Punjab Police and Army conducted flag march in Punjab's Moga.
- We found axes, batons, petrol bombs etc there. All objectionable objects seized and Dera has been completely vacated says Kaithal DC.
- Police is in the process of establishing the identity of the 28 dead persons says Haryana Chief Secy Depinder Singh .
Yesterday, Chief Ministers of Haryana and Punjab -- Manohar Lal Khattar and Captain (Retired) Amarinder Singh issued separate appeals for maintenance of law and order and calm after followers of Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) chief Gurmeeet Ram Rahim went berserk with grief and anger over his conviction on an alleged rape charge.
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