Panchkula Dera violence: Khattar says govt response was right, refuses to quit

Says Honeypreet Insan appealed to the CBI Court that she be allowed inside the court and also inside jail as helper but jail authorities didn’t allow.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday rejected Opposition’s calls for his resignation in the wake of the Dera Sacha Sauda violence, saying his government “reacted befittingly” to the situation.

“We acted with restraint to execute the court’s orders and we succeeded in achieving our objective,” Khattar said after meeting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah here. (ANI Twitter handle)

“We acted with restraint to execute the court’s orders and we succeeded in achieving our objective,” Khattar said after meeting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah here.

On the demands for his resignation from the chief minister’s post, Khattar said: “It doesn’t matter what they say, but we are satisfied with our actions. Whatever we did was right. Now there is peace in Haryana.”

Khattar also gave a report to Shah on violence that erupted on August 25 after a CBI court in Panchkula convicted self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape and criminal intimidation. At least 38 people were killed and more than 250 injured in the violence that spread to other parts of Haryana besides Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi.

The Khattar government drew flak from all quarters for mishandling the situation and allegedly giving a long rope to Dera followers who gathered in Panchkula in their thousands.