August 24 , 2017 - The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Chief of Dera Sacha Sauda to appear in the court, on August 25 at Panchkula, in the Sadhvi Rape case. The court will announce the verdict on Friday 25 August. In view of this, the Followers of Dera Saint has been reached at Panchkula to support Ram Rahim. The followers are gathered from Punjab and Haryana states.
Section 144 has been imposed, and all schools and colleges in Punjab have been ordered to remain shut on August 25, in view of the upcoming court verdict in the Ram Rahim rape case. The Chief Minister has also ordered the withdrawal of 1000 police personnel from VVIP security for deployment on field duty to strengthen the security.
According to CID, Around 3 lakh Dera followers have reached Panchkula. It is expected that more followers will join in soon. It is estimated that 5 to 6 lakh Dera ‘Premis’ can reach at Panchkula on August 25. The groups of followers is sitting under the trees, Parks, lawns, parking and everywhere they find an empty place.
The Dera followers have taken their camp forcibly in Government school on Wednesday. The government school of Sector 4 was closed from yesterday. Police Commissioner AS Chawla, along with other police officers, looked at the 43 places in Panchkula while checking. They were taking the review of law and order and the Court Complex in Sector-I with the Police and Para Military Force and the side has been locked with framed wire.
Dera followers held a Block Level meeting regarding this. The Police have seized weapons from Dera Followers. The Government has made an order that All the Government employees must be present on the duty. The Police personnel, Prison administration, Fire brigade, Health department will be on duty. Besides this, the Government has given the powers to 306 gazetted officers to deal with the emergency situation. The 40 officers of Bathinda, 50 of Sangrur and 37 officers of Patiala have the power to deal with a situation. The government has given the ordered to convert the Tau Devi Lal Stadium into a ‘Temporary Jail’ on Friday.
A total of 85 central companies along with thousands of policemen on the ground will maintain a tight vigil, especially in the vulnerable areas of Moga, Bathinda, Sangrur, Barnala, Patiala and Ludhiana, said the spokesperson.
The Chief Minister has ordered senior officers to personally monitor the situation on the ground. However, the DGP is visiting the various sensitive districts to review the preparations ahead of the verdict in the sensitive case. He also ordered the DGP intelligence to ensure strict monitoring of social media and effectively thwart any attempts by rumor mongers to spread unrest.