Followers of Dera Sacha Sauda leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh have started gathering in large numbers in Panchkula, ahead of the CBI court's verdict in a rape case against him, scheduled for 25 August.
Over 40,000 followers of the controversial godman have gathered at Naam Charcha Ghar in Sector 23 of Panchkula.
The Punjab Police said that it has come to their notice that Dera Sacha Sauda followers have started storing petrol, diesel in drums at Naam Charcha Ghars in district Faridkot.
They have also reportedly stored sharp-edged weapons and stones on the roof of Naam Charcha Ghar.
This is not Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s first brush with the law. The head of the sect, based in Haryana’s Sirsa, previously courted controversy when he dressed up as the 10th Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh, in 2007 – a move that angered the community.
Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh governments have imposed prohibitory orders, and banned the holding of flag marches ahead of the verdict.
Senior police and administrative officers of Haryana, Punjab, and UT Chandigarh held meetings on 23 August to take stock of the security arrangements, officials said.
Schools and colleges in the state will remain shut on 25 August. All private and government schools in Panchkula will remain shut on 24-25 August, ahead of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s rape case verdict.
The followers first started arriving on Tuesday, and since then, have only been increasing in numbers.
Punjab and Haryana have been granted 75 and 35 companies of central forces, respectively, to maintain security.
Police, along with paramilitary forces like the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and SSB, held flag marches at vulnerable places, including Moga, Bathinda, Sangrur, Barnala, Patiala, Ludhaina, Panchkula, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Ambala, Hisar, officials said.
The Chandigarh police have announced that the Chandigarh Cricket Stadium will be converted into a “temporary jail” on the date of the hearing, and will be used to detain unruly Dera followers.
Anticipating danger in case there is a conviction in the case, the Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (HSCPCR) chairperson Jyoti Bainda has written to BS Sandhu, DGP, asking him to take measures for the safety of the children living in protection homes located in Sirsa.
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