Dera Sacha Sauda activities under watch: Haryana, Punjab to HC

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government on Wednesday informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it is monitoring the activities of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) and an assistant sub-inspector (ASI)-rank officer has been permanently deputed in the Dera premises after the 2014 incident of Rampal’s Satlok Ashram.
The police official has never reported any suspicious activity inside the Dera premises, submitted Haryana additional chief secretary (Home) SS Prasad before the high court in response to a contempt of court petition filed by Ravneet Singh Joshi.
Joshi has alleged in his petition that despite clear directions from the high court in 2015 after Rampal incident to ensure that no illegal activities are allowed inside the Deras/ Ashrams located in the states of Haryana and Punjab, the authorities concerned are yet to act in the direction.
In a detailed affidavit, the ACS (Home) informed the high court that the Sirsa senior superintendent of police furnished some information on May 11, 2019 stating that a committee comprising Sirsa SDM, city magistrate, and Sirsa DSP (Headquarters) for the purpose of periodic inspection of the Deras/ Ashrams was constituted by the deputy commissioner of Sirsa. The committee carried a through inspection of DSS in Sirsa in the months of December 2014 and January 2015.
The home secretary’s affidavit added that security agent ASI Dalbir Singh has been permanently deployed in Dera premises.
“The said official was instructed to keep an eye on the day-to-day activities of the Dera and he was providing the said information to then Sirsa SP through in-charge, security branch regularly. However, no such suspicious activity was ever reported by the said official in Dera premises,” said the affidavit.
A separate affidavit was also filed by Niramaljeet Singh Kalsi, the additional chief secretary (Home) of Punjab, in the matter. Kalsi informed that as per a report from the ADGP (Law & Order), it has been reported that search of a total of 1,062 premises of various Deras/ Ashrams was conducted in the month of March 2019. During the operation, no illegal activity was noticed by the police.
On hearing replies from both states, Justice Nirmaljit Kaur of the high court has referred the matter to the full bench of the court that is hearing the case related to August 2017 Panchkula violence.