When Rajnath nudged Khattar

With the Prime Minister abroad, it was left to Rajnath to step in. On Tuesday, a five-member delegation of the Rashtriya Samaj Seva Samiti, a group of followers of Rampal led by Ram Kumar Dhaka, had met Rajnath with demands that included a CBI probe. Rajnath replied the law would take its own course and refused to intervene.

On Wednesday, Rajnath went on an election campaign to Jammu and Kashmir, then called up the Haryana CM as soon as he landed in Delhi. Khattar too reached Delhi in the afternoon but did not seek an appointment with Singh. “When Singh telephoned Khattar, the latter assured him the situation would be brought under control soon,” said a home ministry official.

At home, Khattar issued a statement saying, “State government is committed to upholding the law and ensuring strict compliance with the directions of court. All are equal before the law and  the government is working dispassionately without any pressure or favouritism.”

The statement, issued before Rampal’s arrest, added, “The state government is proceeding carefully and cautiously to arrest Sant Rampal, chief  of the Satlok Ashram. Our first priority is to safely take out the innocent children, women and aged persons who are stranded in the ashram, and also make arrangements for their safe passage to their homes. The police are working with great wisdom, restraint and in a planned manner.

“Despite the incidents of firing, stone- pelting and throwing of acid and petrol bombs from inside, the police exercised extreme restraint as their main aim was to ensure safety and security of the thousands of innocent people stranded in the Ashram. More than 10,000 people have so far been taken out of the ashram and arrangements have been made for their safe passage to their respective destinations.”

He added that “timely action had been taken by the Haryana Police with the assistance of the CRPF”.