Rampal followers observe black day 3 years after into his arrest
ROHTAK: Hundreds of followers of self-styled godman Rampal protested here on Saturday, observing black day to mark the third anniversary of the sect head’s arrest.
Rampal was arrested on November 19, 2014, from his ashram in Hisar’s Barwala in a dramatic sequence of events.
The followers wearing black bands gathered at Mansarovar Park on Saturday morning and marched till mini-secretariat to hand over a memorandum demanding CBI probe into cases related to Rampal. The memorandum was addressed to President Ramnath Kovind and was handed over to city magistrate Mahendrapal in absence of deputy commissioner.
Heavy security force was deployed and traffic was blocked as thousands marched on roads raising slogans against the police and state government.
The supporters said they had no faith in government and state police, and accused them of framing Rampal in false cases to settle their political scores. “Our guruji is innocent. He has done no wrong to anyone. The administration has allowed Ram Rahim’s Dera to reopen but does not let us do satsang at our Satlok ashrams,” said Aman Das, a spokesperson of the Ashram.
Rampal was recently acquitted in two criminal cases, but remains locked in jail as he faces more cases. His supporters have time and again created ruckus at his court hearings and other days to present a show of strength to pressurise the government.
WHY WAS THE ‘GODMAN ‘ARRESTED?
In 2006, Rampal’s derogatory remarks for an Arya Samaj leader resulted in a clash between Arya Samajis and his supporters at his ashram in Rohtak’s Karontha village, in which 20-year-old Arya Samaji Sonu was killed. Rampal was booked for murder and attempt to murder, and was jailed. After Rampal got bail in 2008, he skipped court hearings over 40 times, forcing the court to issue non-bailable warrants against him in 2014. When the police reached to arrest him at his ashram in Hisar, his armed followers formed human shield and halted cops for several days to arrest him.
Bodies of five women and a child were found in his ashram after his arrest.
PROTESTERS DEMAND CBI PROBE INTO CASES AGAINST THE SELFSTYLED GODMAN; HAND OVER MEMORANDUM