Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted by a special CBI court in a 2002 rape case.
The governments of Haryana and Punjab were instructed two weeks ago by the Union Home Ministry, citing intelligence reports, to make elaborate security arrangements before the verdict is announced in the rape case involving Dera Sacha Sauda chief Guru Ram Rahim, official sources told The Indian Express. Yet, officials said, thousands of Dera followers were allowed to assemble in Panchkula where the CBI special court announced its verdict Thursday, declaring Ram Rahim guilty and triggering widespread violence that led to 23 deaths.
The Centre has now asked the Haryana government to ensure security for the CBI special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who convicted the Dera chief. Officials said the Home Ministry will analyse intelligence inputs before deciding whether Singh’s security needs to be handled by a central force, such as the CRPF.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, “I have spoken to the chief ministers of Haryana and Punjab, and they briefed me about the situation and the steps taken to restore normalcy. Any harm to life and property due to this unrest cannot be compensated by any amount of money.” Singh also reviewed the security situation in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan and Chandigarh after cutting short his visit to Krygstan for a meeting of the Shangai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries. Singh also spoke to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Rajasthan’s Vasundhara Raje after reports of violence in Rajasthan and Delhi.
Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said, “We are monitoring the situation. I have spoken to the Haryana chief secretary. The situation is tense but under control.”
Sources said that the Home Secretary also briefed the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) about the situation. “At present, nearly 200 companies have been deployed in the two states. If the state governments need more central forces, we will provide them,” said an official.
Meanwhile, security at the BJP headquarters on Ashoka Road in Delhi has been beefed up, with a Delhi Police team reviewing the arrangements.
