Dera supporters on rampage in Panchkula, violence spreads to Delhi after Ram Rahim’s rape conviction; 29 killed | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Dera supporters on rampage in Panchkula, violence spreads to Delhi after Ram Rahim’s rape conviction; 29 killed

Hindustan Times, Panchkula | By
Aug 25, 2017 07:48 PM IST

The protesters, who are supporters of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim, set fire to a government building and a petrol pump as well as damaged a five-star hotel in Panchkula’s sector 3.

At least 29 people were killed and about 200 injured in clashes between police and supporters of controversial “godman” Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Friday after the Dera Sacha Sauda chief was found guilty of raping two women 15 years ago.

Plumes of smoke are seen above Panchkula on Friday.(HT Twitter)
Plumes of smoke are seen above Panchkula on Friday.(HT Twitter)

“Seventeen people are dead and at least 200 are injured,” PTI quoted Vivek Bhadu, Chief Medical Officer at the civil hospital in Panchkula, as saying. Another seven deaths were recorded at PGIMER hospital in Chandigarh and four at Government Medical College in Chandigarh, officials said. One death was recorded at Sirsa.

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Bhadu said that most of the deaths were due to bullet injuries.

Singh was convicted in a highly guarded court in Panchkula earlier in the day. (LIVE updates)

Cases of arson were also reported from many parts in Delhi as supporters set buses and a train on fire at Anand Vihar Terminal railway station.

Minutes after the verdict, Singh’s followers, who had gathered in the thousands to protest his innocence, turned violent and began attacking vehicles, government offices and residential colonies in Panchkula. They set fire to a petrol pump and damaged a five-star hotel Holiday Inn in sector 3, where the courthouse is located.

TV images showed chaotic street scenes from across Panchkula town where hundreds of people clashed with police with sticks and stones. Plumes of smoke from tear gas shells were seen rising above its tree-lined streets.

HT journalists saw groups of 20-30 people in masks and carrying sticks marching towards the court house in sector 3 of Panchkula after the verdict was announced. They asked residents to stay in and not film them on their mobile phones.

As the mobs turned violent, police used batons and lobbed tear gas shells. In one place, TV images showed, policemen fleeing the area after being outnumbered by the protesters.

Violence was also reported from beyond Panchkula. A railway station in Malout in Punjab was burned down, police said. A power station near Mansa, also in Punjab, was attacked and two vehicles were torched there.

In Panchkula, at least one journalist was injured and a photojournalist’s camera was damaged in Panchkula. Two TV channels said their outdoor broadcasting vans were damaged. An HT photojournalist’s scooter was set on fire in the town.

Fears of mass unrest over Singh’s trial grew after some 50,000 of his supporters gathered and stockpiled weapons at the cult’s headquarters in Sirsa earlier this week.

Singh, a burly, bearded man who has scripted and starred in his own films, is accused of raping two women followers at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. They had accused the self-styled spiritual leader of sexually abusing them repeatedly. The court had more than 200 sittings over a decade, and the case saw numerous stay orders by higher courts.

The CBI court will announce the quantum of punishment for Singh on August 28, a CBI counsel told Hindustan Times.

Singh faces up to seven years’ in jail. He was taken into custody by the Haryana police, and he is expected to be transferred to jail in Rohtak in a chopper.

Earlier on in the day, thousands of hysterical followers lined up the roads from Sirsa to Panchkula, slowing down his convoy on the way to the court. Many were seen in tears.

Singh is the latest among several self-styled godmen accused of rape and other crimes. Another guru with millions of followers, Asaram, and his son are also in jail on rape charges.

Besides the rape charges, Singh is also under investigation over allegations that he convinced 400 of his male followers to undergo castration, allegations he denies.

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