Panchkula arson: Police may book dera chief
Police commissioner says investigation is under way and a concrete action will be taken soon; 950 dera followers have already been arrested for rioting, arson and attack on security forces
PANCHKULA: More trouble appears to be in store for Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim as he may be booked soon for criminal conspiracy and inciting violence in Panchkula following his sentencing in the rape case.
The violence and the consequent firing by security forces had claimed 34 lives and left nearly 250 injured.
“We are not ruling out a criminal case against the dera chief for the violence in Panchkula. The investigation is under way and a concrete action will come out soon,” Panchkula police commissioner AS Chawla told HT.
More than 950 dera followers have already been arrested by the Panchkula police for rioting, attack on security forces and damaging public and private property as clashes broke between them and the security forces after the CBI court convicted the dera chief.
Several FIRs filed in this connection claimed that dera followers even indulged in firing on security men after the violence erupted in Panchkula, forcing the police to open fire at them.
Sources in the police said there were strong chances that the violence in Panchkula was pre-planned at the top level in the dera.
Thy said this suspicion was fuelled by the fact that the police had seized sophisticated weapons, petrol from high-end sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and a fire tender that was part of the cavalcade that came along the dera head from Sirsa to appear in the CBI court in Panchkula on August 25.
ADITYA INSAAN
ON THE RUN
Meanwhile, the police have not been able to arrest Dera Sacha Sauda spokespersons Aditya Insan and Dhiman Insaan, even three days after registering a sedition case against them.
“We will soon arrest them as our teams are already on the job to gather information about their whereabouts,” said Chawla.