Tension grips Sirsa as dera followers gather outside court

SIRSA/HISAR: Tension gripped Sirsa city on Thursday afternoon as thousands of Dera Sacha Sauda followers gathered in front of the Sirsa local court where dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was supposed to appear for a videoconference before a special CBI court in Panchkula.

The dera chief, however, did not appear in the Sirsa court stating medical grounds.

Heavy police force was deployed outside the Sirsa court to maintain the law and order situation.

Talking to HT over phone, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Vijay Kakkar said, “We

have sought extra police force from nearby districts such as Fatehabad and Hisar to maintain the law and order situation. If required, we will call paramilitary force. The situation is under control right now.”

“Today dera followers gathered near the court complex near Sirsa-Barnala road. The police was able to control the crowd the traffic. No one will be allowed to breach law and order," DSP Kakkar added.

Notably, the governments of Punjab and Haryana have sought central forces to deal with the situation incase of an adverse verdict against the dera chief .

Recently, a crowd of around 35,000 people had gathered at Sachkhand hall to celebrate the dera chief’s 50th birthday on August 15.

During the occasion, Haryana education minister Ram Bilas Sharma had even announced ₹51 lakh aid to Dera Sach Sauda's 'Khel Gaon'.