High alert for Dera chief’s sentencing; violence may erupt, warns intelligence

Chandigarh/New Delhi/ Rohtak: As the toll in Friday’s violence rose to 38 on Sunday, security was beefed up in Haryana’s Rohtak district and Sunaria prison in Rohtak city was turned into a virtual fortress a day before a CBI judge is scheduled to pronounce the sentence against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, lodged in the prison after his conviction for rape on Friday.

Panchkula-based judge Jagdeep Singh will travel to Rohtak and announce the Dera chief’s sentence at around 2.30 pm at a makeshift court in the jail on Monday.

The police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Rohtak and the Army was put on standby on Sunday. Schools and colleges across Haryana and Punjab will remain closed on Monday. Some schools in Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh have also decided to remain shut on Monday.

As curfew continued in Sirsa, where the Dera headquarters is located, the state government extended the statewide suspension of mobile Internet services, including 2G, 3G, 4G, CDMA and GPRS, all SMS services and all dongle services on mobile networks, except voice calls, till 11.30 am on Tuesday. Similar curbs were imposed in Punjab. The Internet leased lines at the Dera premises in Sirsa were also suspended till Tuesday.

Haryana DGP B.S. Sandhu told reporters in Chandigarh that maintaining law and order will be the top priority on Monday. Apart from the police, 23 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed.

“To ensure there is no repeat of violence that erupted in Panchkula on Friday, all routes to Sunaria jail in Rohtak have been sealed,” Mr Sandhu said.

The police has, so far, registered 52 cases and arrested 926 people over the violence in Panchkula and Sirsa, Mr Sandhu said.

Four rifles, including an AK-47, pistols and petrol bombs were among the weapons seized from the supporters of the sect.

Two Dera spokesmen, Aditya Insan and Dhiman Insan, were booked for sedition on the basis of news reports that accused them of inciting the violence on Friday.

The Punjab and Haryana high court took notice of the news report, after which an FIR was lodged in Panchkula.

Sedition and attempt to murder charges have also been slapped on seven persons, including five Haryana police personnel, who were part of the Dera chief’s security detail when he had arrived at the Panchkula CBI court on Friday.

“Sedition charge has been slapped against seven persons, including five Haryana police personnel,” inspector Karambir Singh of Panchkula police station said on Sunday.

The seven securitymen allegedly tried to free the cult chief after he was brought out of the Panchkula court complex, he said.

Earlier, Mr Sandhu said Dera ashrams were searched and sanitised ahead of the sentencing of the cult chief on Monday.

He also assured protection to the media.  “I assure you that the media is safe, we are part of the same system,” he said, referring to the attacks on the media by alleged Dera followers on Friday.

In terms of restoration of public transport, he said bus and railway services, specially from Delhi to Katra, had resumed. Trains towards Hisra and Rohtak have a few restrictions.

The DGP added the death toll in Friday’s violence in Panchkula and Sirsa  had risen to 38. While 32 people lost their lives in Panchkula, six others died at Sirsa, he said. During the violence, 76 vehicles were burnt, including 53 in Panchkula, and the rest in Sirsa, he added.

All the deceased from Sirsa had been identified. Of those who died in Panchkula, 24 had been identified, he said.

IGP (Rohtak range) Navdeep Virk, who is overseeing the security arrangements in Rohtak, said there was a “complete clampdown” on Dera centres and all their functionaries put under detention in the state.

Section 144 CrPC, prohibiting the assembly of five or more persons, and carrying of firearms and other weapons is already in place in Rohtak, he said.

In another development, the authorities in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district, bordering Haryana, have told all schools to remain closed on Monday in view of the sentencing of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The Shamli district authorities have also sealed roads that connect the district with Haryana.

Revenue officials of both Haryana and Punjab have also started preparing lists of properties and assets of the sect on the high court’s direction.

The court had sought by Tuesday a list of the Dera’s assets which can be attached in case it is found that the sect’s followers were responsible for property damage in Friday’s violence.

Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh said on Sunday that no compensation would be given by his government to lawbreakers from his state who were killed in the Panchkula carnage. On August 25, a CBI court in Haryana’s Panchkula held the Dera sect head, who has lakhs of followers in Punjab and Haryana, guilty of rape of two female disciples 15 years ago.

The verdict was followed by violent protests by the cult head’s followers.

Final countdown

• Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim to be sentenced in Rohtak’s Sunaria prison by CBI special judge on Monday, premises fortified, prohibitory orders imposed in district
• Dera spokespersons Aditya Insan, Dhiman Insan booked under sedition provisions
• Death toll in Friday’s violence rose to 38
• Haryana, Punjab schools, colleges ordered shut on Monday; schools also closed in UP’s Shamli district
• Mobile Internet, SMS suspended in Punjab, Haryana till Tuesday
• Curfew continued in Sirsa on Sunday