Police theory falls flat in 2017 violence case

A local court has acquitted six followers of Dera Sacha Sauda who were arrested in a rioting case registered by Chandigarh Police eight years ago. The prosecution failed to prove the charges, leading to their exoneration.

The acquitted individuals — Maninder Singh, Ranjit Kumar, Dharminder, Krishan Pal, Anup Singh and Sukhwinder Singh —hailed from Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. The case was registered on August 25, 2017, under multiple sections, including 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly), 188, 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC, and Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act at Manimajra Police Station, Chandigarh.

According to sub-inspector Rohit, who was posted at Manimajra Police Station at the time, security was heightened at three key nakas — Mansa Devi Road, Dhillon Barrier and Housing Board Light Point — on the day Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted by a Special CBI Court in Panchkula. The police had alleged that at 9:45 pm, six private security guards in safari suits attempted to forcibly enter Chandigarh in a Gypsy registered to the Dera, intending to incite violence.

During their arrest, police recovered a 7.65 mm pistol with 25 live cartridges, iron rods, two wooden sticks, an umbrella stick and an empty blue petrol can from the vehicle. The sub-inspector claimed the accused disclosed at the time of apprehension that they were Baba Ram Rahim’s bodyguards and had come to Panchkula to support him.

However, defence lawyer Harish Bhardwaj, representing five of the accused, countered the police claims, arguing that his clients were falsely implicated. "The police did not include any independent witnesses at the time of arrest. Also, the proper sanction under the Arms Act was not obtained," he said.

The public prosecutor insisted that the accused were involved in the violence following Baba Ram Rahim’s conviction. However, after hearing arguments from both sides, the court ruled in favour of the accused, acquitting all six due to lack of evidence.