Dera Bassi limps back to normalcy
Satinder Pal Singh
Zirakpur/Dera Bassi, August 26
Normalcy returned in Dera Bassi on Saturday. A day after prevailed an uneasy calm as Dera Sacha Sauda supporters went on a rampage in Panchkula after the CBI court convicted their self-styled godman in a rape case on Friday.
While the normalcy was restored in the constituency, the fear still played on the minds of the city residents as the quantum of punishment is yet to be declared. The restriction on the assembly of people under Section 144 CrPC was still in force throughout the area as a precautionary measure.
No untoward incident or provoking reaction came from Dera Bassi and Lalru where large number of dera followers resides.
The police and paramilitary forces continued to patrol the city. Blockades from the highways, including Chandigarh-Ambala, Zirakpur-Panchkula , were lifted for the restoration of traffic.
Shops in the city, which remained closed yesterday, opened today.
Morning hours saw thin traffic. By noon, at bustling market places, people were seen discussing the fallout of the judgment. And by evening, life was back to normal as streets began to fill up with vehicles.
"I had opened my shop in the morning, but now I am going home for my afternoon nap. I have no knowledge about the technicalities involving the judgment. All I want is peace," said a local shopkeeper at Zirakpur.
While asserting that there would be no more violence or shutdowns in the city hereafter, the police officials said that the security would remain tight and close vigil was being maintained against anti-social elements to prevent any untoward incident.
While mobile internet and transport services continued to remain suspended here on Saturday, trains are also off the tracks in the city as a precautionary measure.
