A special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Panchkula will pass judgment in the rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Friday, August 25.
A former follower had accused Mr. Singh of repeatedly raping her inside the Dera campus near Sirsa in Haryana. The alleged incident took place in 1999. An FIR was registered in 2002. The Dera chief and the management of the sect have denied the allegations all throughout.
Haryana and Punjab, especially, Chandigarh, are on high alert to deal with any situation on the law and order front. Several companies of the paramilitary forces have reached the twin States, with tight security arrangements being put in place.
Live updates
1.30 pm: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh reaches Panchkula
12.55 pm: Punjab and Haryana High Court says administration should not hesitate to use force and weapons to maintain law and order.
12.30 pm: Prevailing tension in Panchkula eases a bit as few of the Dera Sacha Sauda followers start leaving the city after an appeal to return was made by Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh through a video. The security across the city though remains tight.
12.25 pm: Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed administration to ensure that situation stays in control, our correspondent Vikas Vasudeva reports from Panchkula.
The HC says police should not hesitate in filing FIRs against politicians or anyone else who get involved in creating law and order problem.
The bench will again sit at 3:30 PM to hear the case.
12:15 pm: Even as Ram Rahim had appealed to his followers to leave Panchkula, tens of thousands of followers are still staying put, waiting for the Dera chief, who is on his way to Panchkula to appear before special CBI court.
11.40 am: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's cavalcade has reportedly reached Kaithal, where his followers have stopped him from moving further.
11.30 am: Panchkula has virtually come to a standstill as security has been beefed up to maximum level, reports our correspondent Vikas Vasudeva from Panchkula. 25 columns of Army have reached Panchkula and would be pressed in case situation arises.
"How come despite section 144 order such a huge number of followers are on the roads? Both Haryana and Union government has taken a sympathetic view and is facilitating such a congregation," says Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury on Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
10.30 am: Army columns moved into Panchkula early on Friday as scores of Dera Sacha Sauda followers gathered in the town, reports PTI.
The Haryana Police assisted by central forces was involved in an operation to flush out scores of Dera followers even as 50-year-old Singh made a video appeal to his followers to return home.
“At the sect headquarters at Sirsa, police and paramilitary forces took out a flag march past midnight to enforce the curfew clamped at 10 PM (yesterday) for an indefinite period,” Sirsa SP Ashwin Shenvi said.
10.20 am: Intelligence inputs have suggested that the Delhi police keep an eye on an estimated 20,000 supporters of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim spread across close to a dozen locations in the Capital.
“A report on the subject has been shared with top Delhi police officials in addition to senior representatives of the Punjab and Haryana police; Mr. Rahim enjoys much support across several pockets located in Delhi as well as along its borders,” said an intelligence official.
10.10 am: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has slammed the Haryana government for allowing Dera followers to enter Panchkula in large numbers despite prohibitory orders being clamped, questioning why Section 144 had not been imposed strictly.
An estimated over one lakh Dera followers including men, women and children have gathered in Panchkula, reports PTI. UT Chandigah police has warned of taking stern action against Dera followers if they make an attempt to enter Chandigarh.
10.00 am: Authorities tell PTI that they have sealed the road leading to the district court complex in Panchkula and nobody was being allowed on that route.
“We will not move out from Panchkula till the time we have pitaji’s (Ram Rahim) ‘darshan’ We will wait till the court verdict,” said an aged follower who had come from Bathinda in Punjab.
The Dera head is expected to reach Panchkula in the afternoon to remain present in the court before the verdict.
9.45 am: Shops, ATMs, cinema halls, petrol pumps, located near the Dera headquarters in Sirsa are closed, reports PTI.
Security personnel are keeping a strict vigil by erecting barricades on several places and are not allowing any vehicular movement towards the sect headquarters at Sirsa in Haryana.
A petrol pump around 300 metres from the Dera has been closed to avoid any untoward incident. Similarly, the shutters of several ATMs have been pulled down in the area.
9.30 am: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh leaves for Panchkula where CBI court is set to deliver its verdict in rape case against him. The 50-year-old Dera head left the sect-headquarters at Sirsa, about 260 km from Chandigarh amid tight security.
“He has left Sirsa by road,” Sirsa Deputy Commissioner, Prabhjot Singh told PTI over phone.
The Dera chief, who enjoys ‘Z’ category security, is also being accompanied a number of his own security guards in a cavalcade.
It will take him around three hours to reach the court, a police official said.
9.15 am: Trains cancelled
In view of the situation, the Ministry of Railways decided to cancel several trains passing through Punjab and Haryana. An Indian Railways order said in wake of likely disturbance in law and order, a list of sensitive railway stations and sections have been identified.
The Haryana government has also set up a State riot control centre at the police headquarters in sector-6, Panchkula, which will be operational round-the-clock.
9.00 am: Dera chief appeals to followers to leave Panchkula
Ahead of the verdict in the alleged rape case against him, the Sirsa based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim has appealed to his followers to leave Panchkula and return to their homes.
"I request all my followers who are in Panchkula to return to their homes and ensure that peace is maintained," Mr. Singh said through a video on Thursday night. "I'll appear in the court and myself hear the decision," he added.
8.30 am: The Home Department of Chandigarh UT has declared the cricket stadium in sector 16 a "temporary jail", to be used to confine people suspected of creating law and order problem.
Section 144 [which bars gathering of more than 4 persons at a place] has been imposed in all districts of Haryana, while the State government has requested the Centre to provide 115 companies of paramilitary forces.
8.15 am: While the CBI decided on August 25 as the day of judgement, there had been speculation over Ram Rahim's attending the proceedings. On Thursday, he put an end to the speculation, saying he would appear before the court despite a backache.
A tweet from the official handle of Gurmeet Ram Rahim said that ''we have always respected the law. Even though I am having a back ache, yet abiding by the law I'll go to the court.''
8.00 am:Security forces could be in for a tough day in case there is an adverse ruling. The police have barricaded many points in Panchkula to restrict entry of vehicles. However, large numbers of followers were seen walking in groups to reach their destination.
Several of them could be seen sitting and lying on the roadside around the Zirakpur-Kalka highway besides the city roads as well. Many followers have erected tents while some have taken shelter in parks.
7.30 am: Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa, Prabhjot Singh, announced imposition of curfew in parts of city falling under the jurisdiction of City police station and three villages namely Bajekan, Nejakhera and Shahpur Begu after 10 p.m on Thursday.
7.15 am: Several shops on the road leading to the Dera have been closed fearing backlash. “Though there are no directions from the administration, most of the shopkeepers chose to keep the shutters down anticipating danger. It could be almost a curfew like situation tomorrow [on Friday] morning,” said Vijay Sharma, an ice-cream vendor on Thursday.
7.00 am: On Thursday, with less than 24 hours to go for the verdict, Dera followers, including women, children and the elderly, trickled into its headquarters at Sirsa in groups all through the day.
The followers, known as Premis , could be seen on both sides of over a one-km-long stretch outside the Dera headquarters in the evening, sitting in the open in small groups discussing the possible outcome of the judgment on Friday.