Panchkula, Sirsa limping back to normal, Haryana govt orders search of Dera centres

Meanwhile, action against the Dera Sacha Sauda began with the state government ordering search of all Dera centres across the state. District officials in Kurukshetra district sealed off two ashrams. The court had said that damages to property incurred on Friday would be recovered from the outfit.

“We have ordered a search of all ‘naam charcha ghars’ (congregation centres) of the Dera Sacha Sauda wherever located in Haryana,” state Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Ram Niwas told PTI. “We have asked security personnel to conduct searches at all Dera centres thoroughly and seize any weapons found,” he added.

LIMPING BACK TO NORMALCY

Curfew has been clamped in many areas in Haryana and Punjab and flag marches were carried out by security personnel. In the morning, people were allowed to come on the roads to buy essential items.

Securities forces firing on dera followers after followers started violence after the verdict on Dera chief on Friday, August 25 2017. Express photo by Jaipal Singh

In Sirsa, the headquarters of the Dera, police officials said the situation is being monitored with no reports of violence since Friday night. Fifteen followers of the Dera have been detained by the police today. Two companies of the army and 10 companies of paramilitary personnel have been deployed. Curfew has been imposed in Sirsa too. Normal life has come to a standstill in the district with people complaining of widespread arson and looting.

On Friday, several police personnel and journalists were injured in the clashes in Panchkula soon after the verdict was announced. Thousands of Dera followers had assembled in Panchkula in anticipation of the verdict. The violence also spread to nearby Delhi where two empty train coaches of Rewa Express were set ablaze at the Anand Vihar railway station. Section 144 was imposed in all Delhi districts, Noida and Ghaziabad.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim supporters set a train on fire at Anand Vihar Station in New Delhi. (Express photo)

Meanwhile, the Centre Friday instructed the Haryana government to ensure security for CBI special court judge Jagdeep Singh who held the Dera Sacha Sauda chief guilty. Officials of the Union Home Ministry said intelligence inputs will be analysed before deciding whether the judge’s security cover needs to be handled by a central force such as the CRPF. Jagdeep Singh is Additional District and Sessions Judge at the Panchkula district court and was designated as CBI judge in April 2016.