Dera chief verdict: Mobile Internet, train services to be snapped for 72 hours

Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh have decided to disable mobile internet connectivity for 72 hours, the Railways will be requested to halt train services to the Union territory for two days

With barely a day to go before a special CBI court pronounces the verdict on Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case, the governments of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh have decided to suspend mobile Internet services for the next 72 hours.

Police seal the Panchkula-Chandigarh border ahead of a CBI court pronouncing its verdict on Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case on Friday. (Sant Arora/ HT Photo)

The Railways ministry has also been requested to stop passenger trains from plying to Chandigarh for two days, with immediate effect.

Additional chief secretary (home) Ram Niwas said these decisions were taken in a coordination committee meeting between top officials of Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh, held under the chairmanship of Punjab governor VP Badnore on Thursday. “The notification to block mobile Internet services is being issued,” he told reporters after the meeting at the Punjab Raj Bhawan.

Niwas said a joint Haryana-Punjab control room would be set up at Chandigarh’s Sector 9, and both the states would deploy a single police officer to ensure better coordination between law-enforcement agencies in the eventuality of any violence.

The top official said the Railways would also be requested to stop all passenger trains from plying to Chandigarh for two days, starting today. Haryana Roadways bus services to Chandigarh and Panchkula have already been suspended for that duration.

Additionally, 10 duty magistrates have been deployed to various locations, and action is being taken by the civil and police administration on the basis of intelligence inputs.