LoP Chautala lashes out at Hry Govt over Dera violence

In the backdrop of the acquittal of several accused in the 2017 Panchkula dera violence case,  Leader of opposition and Indian National Lok Dal’s senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala on Tuesday raked up the issue again alleging that innocent people were killed in police firing and later, false cases of sedition were registered against dera followers in the State. “More than 40 innocent people had died due to police firing in August last year at Panckula. After this, the Government had registered sedition cases against dera followers in a deliberate attempt to frame them in false cases. But, now the Court is acquitting accused in such cases as the Government has failed to prove sedition charges,” said Abhay Chautala while talking to the mediapersons in Panchkula near here on Tuesday.

Chautala was reacting to recent verdict of a local court in Panchkula where it acquitted six accused in a case related to 2017 Panchkula dera violence. The Panchkula court had recently also dropped sedition charges against 19 dera followers, including top aides of dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The Leader of opposition said, “Haryana Ministers were giving controversial statements of welcoming the dera followers as guests in Panchkula but later these guests (dera followers) were killed in a police firing.  The Government is misusing the sedition charges and trying to frame innocent people… Ram Bilas Sharma, who was giving controversial statements at that time should be booked under sedition charges, first.”

If our Government comes to power in Haryana, we will get an inquiry done into the firing incident which killed more than 40 people in Panchkula. We will take strict action against those who failed to control violence and then gave orders to kill innocent people, Chautala added. Notably, the Khattar Government drew flak from all quarters for mishandling the situation on August 25 last year, which led to a large-scale violence in Panchkula within few hours in the aftermath of CBI court’s verdict against against Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case.

Atleast 40 people had lost their lives, more than 260 were wounded and property worth crores of rupees was damaged at Panchkula. The deaths took place in firing by security forces on the dera sect followers, who ran amok setting on fire government and private property as well as vehicles in Panchkula and also, in Sirsa. According to the doctors who did autopsy of those killed in dera violence incident at Panckula, all the agitators were hit by a bullet on the upper part of the body. Last year, Haryana senior Minister Anil Vij had demanded compensation and job to the kin of those killed in police firing at Panchkula. However, the issue was put on hold by the Chief Minister while maintaining that the matter related to dera violence is subjudice.

HARYANA BANDH ON AUG 8, CHAUTALA TELLS WORKERS

Chandigarh: Leader of opposition and Indian National Lok Dal’s senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala on Tuesday asked the party workers to gear up for ‘Haryana Bandh’ on August 18 on the issue of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. The BJP Governments at the Centre and Haryana have failed to begin the construction of SYL canal, and the INLD-BSP will observe ‘Haryana Bandh’ on August 18 on the issue, said Chautala while addressing INLD-BSP workers’ sammelan in Panchkula near here.

He also announced that if the party comes to power in next elections, we will provide electricity at the rate of `5 per unit in the State. Chautala also asked the party workers to be careful while posting anything on WhatsApp and other social media websites.