VERDICT ON DERA CHIEF NOT A THING TO BE WELCOMED OR REJECTED: CAPT
CHANDIGARH: The sentencing of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years in jail for raping two “sadhvis” (female followers) was “not a thing to be either welcomed or rejected”, said chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh as he appealed to the people to “accept” the court verdict.
Addressing the media after meeting governor VP Singh Badnore to apprise him of the law and order situation in the state on Monday, the CM said: “It’s a judicial decision which everyone has to accept. I am only interested in ensuring law and order in the state.”
Amarinder said his government would continue to maintain a constant vigil to ensure that peace was maintained in the state. The CM said the government would review the situation again on Tuesday before taking any decision on lifting the curfew imposed in some areas as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, the situation in Punjab continued to be peaceful on Monday with no report of violence reported when special CBI judge sentenced the dera chief to 20 years in jail. The government lifted curfew in five districts of Malwa, but night curfew continues to be in force in five districts of Mansa, Bathinda, Faridkot, Barnala and Samna and Patran subdivisions of district Patiala.
The government has also decided to restore mobile internet services from Tuesday and the decision on opening schools and colleges in the sensitive districts of the state had been left to respective deputy commissioners, said the CM, who held a high-level meeting with administrative and police officials before going to the Punjab Raj Bhawan to meet the governor.
SECURITY COST TO BE CLAIMED FROM DERA
The CM said in addition to the list of damaged property, the state would also file before the high court a claim for the recovery of expenditure incurred in the deployment of central armed forces also from the dera. The central government would bill the state, which in turn would submit the same to the high court for necessary action, he said.