Police identify workers who were part of the search operation team at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa district of Haryana on Friday. (PTI Photo)
THE HARYANA Police on Friday night arrested three persons — Chamkor Singh, district incharge of Dera Sacha Sauda, Daan Singh, a pairvi officer of CBI cases of Dera head, and Karamjeet Singh, EASI of Punjab Police — in connection with the August 25 violence in Panchkula. Chamkor and Daan were arrested from Sector 32 in Chandigarh and Karamjeet was arrested from Patiala.
Panchkula Police Commissioner A S Chawla said, “Chamkor and Daan Singh were arrested on secret information from Chandigarh. Punjab Police personnel Karamjeet had gone to Patiala and joined his duty after escaping from Panchkula on August 25. We got information about his involvement in the escape conspiracy of Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and arrested him. Three of them will be produced in a local court on Saturday.”
Chawla said the fact that Chamkor and Daan had received Rs 5 crore from the Dera management for spreading violence in Panchkula was being examined. However, Chawla said both had denied visiting the Dera in Sirsa in recent times and receiving any money. Police sources said during initial interrogation, Chamkor and Daan accepted the fact that when violence broke out, they were present at one of the epicenters of violence, Hafed roundabout near Sector 5.
Sources said an AK 47 recovered from one of the gunmen of Dera head on August 25 was actually issued in the name of EASI Karamjeet by the Punjab Police. On September 2, the police arrested two Punjab Police personnel — Constable Rohit Kumar and Satvir Singh — for their involvement in the conspiracy to free Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Prior to it, seven people — Head Constable Ajay, Constable Ram Singh, Exempted Head Constable (EHS) Vijay Singh, Sub-Inspector Balwan Singh, Constable Krishan Kumar and two private security guards identified as Pritam Singh and Sukhbir — were arrested on August 25. Police sources said the names of two Punjab Police personnel came to the fore during the interrogation of seven people and the names of both the Punjab Police personnel were passed on to Sirsa police, which arrested them when they were entering Sirsa in a jeep on August 25.
