Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh rape case: Train set afire, 12 places hit across Delhi

Following Gurmeet Ram Rahim Sing’s rape case verdict, violence spread across Delhi as Police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CRPC across 11 of the city’s 13 police districts.

Within 13 minutes of the verdict against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the police control room in Delhi received the first call about violence allegedly perpetrated by devotees of the self-styled godman. (Highlights)

People stand next to a burned out train coach that had been set alight by supporters of a controversial guru, who had earlier been convicted of rape, at Anand Vihar railway station in New Delhi on August 25, 2017. (AFP Photo)

The caller told the police that about 150 followers of the Dera chief were setting fire to two DTC buses in Jahangirpuri in north-west Delhi.

Over the course of the next two hours, Dera-related violence was reported from 11 other areas — Anand Vihar, Jyoti Nagar, Harsh Vihar, Khayala, Badarpur, Bhajanpura, Samaypur Badli, Mehrauli, Manglapuri, GT-Karnal Road and Bawana — covering the length and breadth of the city (see map).

However, no casualties or serious injuries were reported from any of the places.

The Delhi police have imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CRPC across 11 of the city’s 13 police districts. Section 144 bars “unlawful assembly” or the gathering of more than four people at a public place.

Other precautionary measures include the Delhi division of Northern Railways cancelling all trains from Delhi to Rohtak in Haryana and the Delhi Transport Corporation stopping bus operations to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The Delhi Police said five people have been arrested from different parts of the city in connection with the violence. The police have also retrieved videos of protesters involved in the violence shot by eyewitnesses on their mobile phones.

As per police distress calls, more than 1,000 people were involved in stone-pelting in Harsh Vihar in north-east Delhi, and 300 protesters had gathered in Khayala, where a bus seat was set on fire. The police say that the situation has now been brought under control and that police stations have increased deployment.

Delhi Lieutenant-Governor, Anil Baijal, spoke to police commissioner Amulya Patnaik and directed him to take all steps to stop the violence. Baijal tweeted from his official account, “I appeal to all to maintain peace & have directed Commissioner of Police to take effective measures to ensure protection of life & property (sic).”