Leave Panchkula, go home, says Dera chief; followers say no

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, August 25

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, in a video message, has urged his followers who have reached Panchkula to go home and maintain peace.

"I have to go to the court for hearing the verdict and I will go to Panchkula. We should all abide by law and maintain peace and calm," Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh said in his video appeal. However, the followers ignored the appeal and large number of followers continued to stay put in Panchkula giving a tough time to authorities.

Tension has prevailed in Haryana and Punjab in the past 72 hours in the build up to the verdict against the sect chief with thousands of his followers gathering in Panchkula, Sirsa and other places.

Security forces are facing a tough situation as many Dera followers remained reluctant to move, with most saying they had come to the town on their own and will move only after the court delivers its verdict.

Authorities said they had sealed the road leading to the district court complex in Panchkula and nobody was being allowed on that route. "We will not move out from Panchkula till the time we have pitaji's (Ram Rahim) 'darshan'. We will wait till the court verdict," said an aged follower who had come from Bathinda in Punjab.

Haryana, Punjab and Union Territory Chandigarh went into lockdown since yesterday, shutting mobile Internet services, trains, schools, colleges and buses. Gurmeet Ram Rahim on Friday morning left for Panchkula by road where the CBI court is set to deliver its verdict in rape case against him. 

The Dera head was accused of rape in 1999. The CBI took over the investigation in 2002. On August 17, the special CBI court of Panchkula concluded hearing in the case, but reserved pronouncing the verdict for August 25. 

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