Updated
New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI): The death toll in the violence that erupted in Haryana after the rape conviction of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief has climbed to 31 and the situation "is tense but under control", the Union Home Ministry said on Saturday.
"As per Panchkula Control Room in Haryana, the situation in Panchkula and Sirsa is very tense but under control," a home ministry spokesperson said.
There were reports that 31 people lost their lives in the violence since Friday. Among the total fatalities, 29 were in Panchkula and two in Sirsa, he said.
The headquarters of the sect led by the self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is in Sirsa.
Violence erupted in Panchkula on Friday after a CBI court convicted Ram Rahim in a 15-year-old case.
The situation in most of the part of Haryana is tense, the official said.
Sources said no fresh incident of violence was reported till 6 am on Saturday.
Meanwhile, police have detained 15 Dera Sacha Sauda followers since Friday night in Sirsa even as the authorities have appealed to over one lakh supporters still present in the sect headquarters to vacate the premises.
"Police have detained 15 anti-social elements since last night," Sirsa SP Ashwin Shenvi said.
Another senior police official said the authorities have appealed the Dera followers to vacate the compound of sect headquarters.
Army has taken control of the area after two people died is Sirsa on Friday following violence triggered by the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a sexual exploitation case.
Arson by the frenzied followers of the head of Dera Sacha Sauda was also witnessed in some parts of Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan within a few hours of the pronouncement of the judgement by the CBI court in Haryana in the 2002 case.
Earlier Updates
Panchkula/Delhi (Agencies): At least 28 people were killed and 250 were injured on Friday in Panchkula after conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case led to violence across state, Haryana government official said. The Haryana Police has taken Gurmeet to Rohtak's Police Training College in Sunaria.
President Ram Nath Kovind has condemned the "violence and damage to public property after court verdict". He has "appealed to all citizens to maintain peace."
The agitating Dera followers on Friday resorted to damaging public and private properties as well as attacking mediapersons.
Additional Chief Secretary to Haryana government Ram Niwas said the government will compensate for the losses of media personnel and the properties of others.
The Haryana Police has detained as many as 1000 Dera followers, agitating against the conviction of Gurmeet, in Panchkula. Niwas said protesters have been identified.
“We have video footage and strict action will be taken against them. Most of the protesters ousted from city,” Niwas said, while appealing to Dera supporters to stay calm and deter the protesters.
Meanwhile, security has been tightened across Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, bordering areas of Uttar Pradesh in the wake of the violence in Haryana. Vigil has been intensified at stations along Uttar Pradesh, Haryana borders, CISF DG OP Singh said.
Security at Delhi BJP headquarters has also been tightened in the wake of the violence.
Northern Railway Spokesperson Neeraj Sharma had earlier said that two empty rakes of Rewa Express at Anand Vihar Terminal railway station were set on fire.
Police had said that alleged Dera supporters torched a bus in northeast Delhi's Loni Chowk.
A bus was also set ablaze near Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital in Delhi.
However, Madhur Verma, Delhi Police PRO, said the situation in the capital is under control. Verma added that three miscreants have been arrested and patrolling is underway in different areas. Alert has also been sounded at Delhi Metro stations and.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have appealed to the public to maintain peace after violence in Haryana and Punjab.
Meanwhile, Section 144 has been imposed in Muzaffarnagar, Shamli and Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, and also in Noida and Ghaziabad in view of violent protests in Punjab and Haryana.
Punjab government has asked the Centre for more security forces in view of violence at different places. To control the Dera Sacha Sauda followers, Army has been called out in Haryana's Sirsa.
Amid reports of violence, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi has said that the Haryana DGP told him that the “situation is being brought under control gradually”.
In Punjab, the agitating Dera supporters set alight an Income Tax office in Mansa. Curfew has been imposed in Punjab's Sangrur and Moga districts.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had earlier appealed to "all Punjabis to maintain peace and harmony in state". "Won't allow anyone to disturb peace and tranquillity,” he added.
Punjab Chief Minister said he was keeping a close watch on the situation in the state. He said he has briefed the Union Home Minister about the situation.
Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed that properties of Ram Rahim Singh should be attached to pay for the losses due to violence. The High Court also said the senior government officials in Panchkula should be given security by paramilitary forces.
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar condemned the violence, saying: “People have taken law in their hand by resorting to violence. Action will be taken against those who have violated law".
“No one is above law. Appeal people to not believe in rumours and steer clear of people with criminal intentions,” Khattar said.
The violence has also spread to Rajasthan, where Dera supporters set power sub-station office and vehicle at sub-station premises on fire in Sriganganagar.
Meanwhile, Railways has cancelled all trains to Rohtak in Haryana.
Dera followers turned violent after a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court found Singh guilty of raping two of his women followers. As many as 600 Army men were deployed in Panchkula after violence erupted.
Curfew has been imposed in Panchkula and in Muktsar, Bathinda, Mansa in Punjab.
After the special CBI court in Panchkula declared Gurmeet guilty of rape, the Dera followers went on rampage and attacked media vans and set Malout and Balluanna railway stations and a petrol pump on fire
A few journalists were injured in the attack, witnesses said. Cameras of photo-journalists and TV cameramen were damaged by the sect followers.
Most attacks took place in Sectors 3, 4 and 5, which are all close to the court complex.
The police and paramilitary forces could not react adequately as the mobs indulged in violence. But tear gas was fired at one place, leading to stone throwing by Ram Rahim Singh's supporters.
Soldiers deployed here moved in quickly and took control of the court complex, where the sect chief was taken into custody by security personnel following his conviction.
Curfew was imposed in Panchkula and security alert was issued for Delhi borders. Curfew has also been imposed in Muktsar, Bathinda, Mansa in Punjab.
The Dera followers went on rampage and set Malout Railway Station and a petrol pump on fire.
At least 10 people were injured in the violence earlier in the afternoon. They were shifted to a hospital in Sector 6, Panchkula. A camera person was also injured during violent protests in Sirsa, Haryana.
Protests also started in Sirsa, prompting authorities to deploy heavy force. Rapid Action Force has also reached Haryana.
Alert has also been sounded in adjoining districts of Haryana to ensure that the violence does not spill over into Uttar Pradesh. Strict checking are underway on the borders.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has appealed to "all Punjabis to maintain peace and harmony in state". "Won't allow anyone to disturb peace and tranquillity,” he added.
Ahead of the CBI court's verdict in the 15-year-old rape case, an unprecedented security cover was put in place across Punjab and Haryana.
The Dera chief, who enjoys 'Z' category security, was accompanied to the court by a number of his own security guards in a cavalcade.
The rape and sexual exploitation of the female follower was first reported through an anonymous letter in 2002 to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court here.
It took nearly 15 years to reach the verdict stage. The High Court had ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the matter.
A journalist, Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who had first reported the sexual exploitation at the sect campus, was shot dead in October 2002. The murder conspiracy case against Dera officials and the sect chief is being heard by the court separately.
The sect followers regard their chief, who has a colourful personality and has acted in and directed three movies, as a "messenger of god".
The sexual exploitation case was registered against the Dera chief in 2002 by the CBI on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court after anonymous letters were circulated about the alleged sexual exploitation of two 'sadhvis' (female followers) by Ram Rahim Singh.
The tri-city area of Panchkula, Chandigarh and Mohali (in Punjab) were turned into a fortress, ahead of the judgment by the special CBI court judge Justice Jagdeep Singh.
Curfew-like restrictions have been imposed in various areas in both states, with educational institutions shut for two days (Thursday and Friday), trains cancelled and bus services disrupted.
Authorities have suspended mobile internet services and all SMS services. All dongle services provided on mobile networks, except voice calls for the next three days were also stopped.
Shops in Panchkula and Sirsa have been shut and stadia converted into temporary jail complexes.
Nearly 1.5 lakh Dera supporters assembled in Panchkula town ahead of the verdict. The Army was called in to deal with any situation along with other security forces.
Amid tension ahead of the verdict, the Dera head had appealed to his followers to maintain calm and peace.
Central para-military forces and Haryana Police tried to evict the Dera Sacha Sauda supporters gathered in thousands at various places in Panchkula, through the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. However, the sect disciples stayed put.
Ram Rahim: Controversial and colourful in equal measure
Chandigarh, Aug 25 (IANS): Seen as an convict under law, treated as a God by his millions of followers, courted by politicians and political parties, protected by the police with Z-plus security cover and targeted by Sikh radicals, Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, is as controversial as he is colourful.
The sect chief, who turned 50 on the same day when the country marked 70 years of Independence, was convicted of rape by a CBI court in Panchkula on Friday, leading to some violence by his supporters. He has two shades to his personality as the head of the cash-rich Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) sect -- one of leader of social causes and another for controversies. He led an enigmatic life of ultra-luxury and pomp in public appearances.
The sect has under its belt several Guinness World Records, including largest blood donation camps in 2003, 2004 and 2010; has rehabilitated prostitutes, transgenders, alcoholics and drug addicts; and carried out disaster relief -- from the December 2004 Tsumani and Gujarat earthquake to flash floods in Uttarakhand.
The social activities of the sect -- from blood donation camps to running educational institutions and carrying out social welfare measures, have made it popular among millions of its followers, mostly from the poorers sections of the oppressed castes in society.
The DSS claims that it has over 7 crore followers across the country and abroad. A vast majority of these are in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan.
The sect chief enjoys Z-plus security cover from the Haryana government, despite having been charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on two counts of murder conspiracy and one count of rape and sexual exploitation of a 'sadhvi' (female disciple).
Addressed as 'Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan' on the DSS official website, the sect chief has been involved in a major controversy with the Sikh community since April 2007 after he attired himself on the lines of 10th Sikh guru, Gobind Singh, during a ceremony. His action led to large scale violence in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and other places.
Given the threat to his life, especially from Sikh radicals, Singh moves around in a fleet of bulletproof Land Cruisers and Mercedes SUVs and other luxury vehicles, and flies in private helicopters and aircraft.
He has survived assassination attempts in the past.
Wherever he goes, his followers, in thousands, reach that place much before him. At times, this brings normal life in cities and towns to a halt.
In the last few years, the sect chief has taken a fancy for films, He has acted in, directed, written and produced three films, figuring as the hero in them. All films had multi-crore budgets and released in 4,000-plus screens across the country.
He has sung songs in these films and has released albums like "Highway Love Charger" -- unleashing his 'rockstar' avatar. His other music albums include "Network Tere Love Da", "Thank U for That" and "Insan -- one who lives for others".
The sect claims that millions of his music CDs have been sold, most of them being lapped up by his followers. His songs and music encourage the youth and other people to keep away from evils like drugs, prostitution and alcohol.
The sect chief, who describes his music as of a "religious genre" and "gospel", has performed at jam-packed rock shows in New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and the Ramlila Maidan. He has done over 100 such shows so far.
The titles of his songs are equally interesting -- "Atom Bomb", "Kya Khoob" and "Charge Me".
The Dera chief is an accused in the murder of sect follower and his former manager, Ranjit Singh, in July 2002. Singh was murdered by sect activists, allegedly at the behest of the sect chief "as he knew too much about activities inside the sect headquarters".
He is also an accused in the murder of Sirsa-based journalist, Ram Chandra Chhatrapati, in October 2002 after the latter wrote about shady activities inside the sect headquarters near Sirsa, around 260 km from here.
The sect chief was convicted of rape and sexual exploitation of a former female follower, 15 years after the allegations were made in 2002.
The CBI, which is probing all three charges against him, has filed its charge-sheet against the sect chief and others in the other two cases.
The sect management has been refuting all the charges so far.
The sect and its chief wields political clout among its followers in Punjab and Haryana and is courted by political parties and leaders. The sect threw its weight behind the BJP in the 2014 elections in Haryana. Earlier it had sided with the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab.
The sect was founded in 1948 by Shah Mastana, who came from Baluchistan (now in Pakistan). He was succeeded by Shah Satnam Singh and Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh succeeded him.