Two minors rescued from Dera Sacha Sauda premises during search ops

Security agencies and district authorities began search operations at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters near Haryana’s Sirsa town on Friday morning

Haryana administration and security agencies rescued two minor boys from the Sirsa-based headquarters of convicted godman Ram Rahim’s Dera Sacha Sauda sect during a search operation on Friday.

A deserted view at the main entrance to the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa district of Haryana on Friday, ahead of the search operations inside the Dera. PTI Photo (PTI9_8_2017_000048B) (PTI Photo)

One of the rescued boys hailed from state’s Kaithal while the other was from Uttar Pradesh. The minors have been handed over to the child protection wing of the state government, an official said. The two boys’ rescue came a week after officials moved out 45 orphan minors from the Dera base.

“During the sanitisation drive, the search team recovered laptops, hard-disks, computers, currency, plastic token type currency and sealed some rooms for further investigation,” said deputy director (information) Satish Mehra.

The authorities pressed in sniffer dogs, bomb squad and even choppers during Friday’s raid and cordoned off the roads leading to the Dera headquarters to ensure that the search operation was not hampered.

A team of forensic experts was also roped in from Roorkee for decoding the recovered hard disks and laptops.

Paramilitary forces again imposed curfew in all the five villages adjoining the sect’s campus and even stopped the farmers within the 15 kms of the Dera base from entering their fields throughout the day.

Inspector general (IG)- Hisar Range, Amitabh Dhillon led the force along with the commandants of different paramilitary forces like the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the CRPF, inside the Dera HQ after holding talks with the sect’s administration.

An hour before the search operation began, Dera adminstration chairperson Vipasana’s video appeal to sect’s followers asking for “harmony and peace” went viral on the social media.

While there was no media briefing from the security forces, sources stated that the raid came to an end at 6.30pm and are scheduled to resume on Saturday morning.