Dera chief convicted: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh lodged in Rohtak district jail

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was lodged in the Rohtak district prison in Sunaria after his conviction in a rape case on Friday. 

"Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been lodged in a jail in Sunaria (in Rohtak)," Rohtak Deputy Commissioner Atul Kumar told PTI. Tight security arrangements were put in place around the jail. Judge Jagdeep Singh of the CBI special court at Panchkula convicted the Dera chief and said the quantum of sentence would be pronounced on August 28, according to CBI counsel H P S Verma. Immediately after his conviction, followers of the Sirsa- based Dera went on rampage and clashed with security personnel leaving at least 30 dead and over 250 injured.

While 28 people were killed in Panchkula, the epicentre of the violence, two died in Sirsa, the headquarters of Dera Sacha Sauda. "Tight security arrangements have been put in place in Rohtak," the DC said.
Meanwhile, CBI counsel Verma said that Gurmeet Ram Rahim was accompanied by his daughter when he reached the courtroom in Panchkula after travelling from the sect headquarters at Sirsa. At the time of court pronouncing him guilty in the 2002 case, the sect chief appeared "calm and composed", the CBI counsel said. The 50-year-old Dera head had earlier appealed to his followers to maintain peace. Verma said that the Dera head had been found guilty under Section 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight strongly condemned the "deeply distressing" violence that swept Haryana and some other states after conviction of self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case and appealed for peace. Modi reviewed the situation with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and said officials have been asked to work round-the-clock to restore normalcy.

"The instances of violence today are deeply distressing. I strongly condemn the violence & urge everyone to maintain peace," he tweeted. "The law & order situation is being closely monitored. I reviewed the situation with the NSA & Home Secretary," the prime minister said. "Urged officials to work round-the-clock to restore normalcy and provide all possible assistance that is required," he added.