Sentencing day: States on edge

Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and NCR remain on the edge amid fears of mass unrest ahead of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim's sentencing on Monday.

Thirty-eight people have so far died, mostly in Haryana's Panchkula, in large-scale violence, arson and police firing after his followers rampaged across these states to protest his conviction on Friday on charges of raping his two women followers in 2002.

The Rohtak district jail, where the self-styled godman has been lodged, has been notified as the special CBI court for the sentencing. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 2.30 pm.

All schools and colleges in Haryana will remain shut and security has been beefed up across the BJP-ruled state. Curfew will continue in Sirsa, where the controversial cult is headquartered, and Rohtak. The Army is on standby in both cities where train services will remain suspended.

In Punjab, all educational institutions will remain shut in 13 sensitive Malwa districts. State Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said that he has given a free hand to the police to crack down on potential trouble makers.
Delhi has been put on high alert and the police identified 275 violence-prone spots.

They have also identified 3,800 families, which are Dera followers, in the city. About 20,000 police personnel along with Central paramilitary forces have been deployed to avert any trouble in the National Capital. However, schools, offices and other institutions in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram will function on Monday.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, which were imposed in Delhi on Friday, when violence spread, will remain in force till further orders. Community centres, where Dera functions are often conducted, are also being checked. "We are monitoring the movement of Dera followers," a senior police official said.

A multi-layer security cordon has been thrown around the Rohtak jail. "The area surrounding the jail has been sealed," said Haryana DGP BS Sandhu. Twenty-three companies of para-military forces have been deployed in Rohtak, and cops have also been requisitioned from adjoining areas.

"Some people are still inside the Dera in Sirsa… they are slowly coming out. We will not let anyone disrupt law and order in any part of the state," he said.

As many as 53 cases have been registered and 926 people arrested for Friday's violence. A total of 76 vehicles had been torched or damaged in Panchkula and Sirsa alone. A total of 36 people died in Panchkula and 6 in Sirsa.

The number of those injured is 264.