At least 11 people have been killed after supporters of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh went on rampage across Haryana in the aftermath of their guru being convicted in rape case.
Followers of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh today also pelted stones and broke barricades soon after his conviction in the rape case following which police lobbed tear gas shells and fired in the air.
There are also reports of Dera supporters barging into the houses of ordinary public in sector 5 of Panchkula to attack them. Powers stations in Punjab too have been set on fire.
Delhi Police too have recorded incidents of violence at seven different places with several cases of buses being set on fire. The affected areas in Delhi included Mangolpuri, Loni (Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh) and Anand Vihar, reported Aaj Tak channel.
#RamRahimVerdict | Delhi bus set on fire by #RamRahimSingh sect, Chief Minister Kejriwal appeals for calm pic.twitter.com/AhahM1NmJP
— NDTV (@ndtv) August 25, 2017
Rewa Express train in Anand Vihar in Delhi was set on fire too (See photo below).
Courtesy: Aaj Tak channelMinutes ago, the Punjab and Haryana High Court took cognisance of the violence and said that it will freeze all assets belonging to Gurmeet Ram Rahim to compensate the losses to properties and other assets during the violence.
Income Tax office in Punjab’s Mansa was set alight by Dera protesters post rape conviction of Ram Rahim Singh, vehicles in the premises torched
Income Tax office in Punjab's Mansa set alight by Dera protesters post rape conviction of #RamRahimSingh, vehicles in the premises torched pic.twitter.com/VSjOxSPnta
— ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2017
Immediately after the verdict, many Dera followers including large number of women started crying.
Some followers went berserk and also allegedly damaged OB vans of a private TV channel and also set two stations on fire. A video journalist working for Aaj Tak channel was attacked with sharp object in Sirsa.
Several people are reported injured as ambulances full of injured seen arriving in the hospital in sector 6 of Panchkula. In Sector 5 of Panchkula, several buildings were set on fire with smokes billowing out in sky all across city.
Police lobbed tear gas shells, used water canons and batons in an attempt to bring the situation under control. The Dera followers pelted stones and broke security cordon. Two people were left seriously injured in firing.
CBI judge Jagdeep Singh, while holding the 50-year-old Dera chief guilty of rape, said the quantum of sentence will be pronounced on August 28, CBI counsel HPS Verma told reporters outside the court.
The punishment can be a jail term not less than seven years but may even extend to life imprisonment.
Army personnel and central paramilitary forces took positions around the CBI court complex in Panchkula, even as the area close to the complex was sealed.
(With PTI inputs)