P’kula arson: 10 more charged with sedition, criminal conspiracy

PANCHKULA: Ten more functionaries of the dera sacha sauda were charged with sedition, criminal conspiracy and other crimes under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as the police submitted the supplementary chargesheet against them in a local court on Thursday in connection with August 25 Panchkula violence.

As many as 42 persons were killed after clashes broke out between dera followers and security agencies on in Panchkula after dera chief Ram Rahim’s conviction in a rape case.

Ram Rahim’s adopted daughter Honeypreet and 11 others were already charged with similar sections when they were chargesheeted on November 28 last year. Three others in that chargesheet were those who were charged with sheltering Honeypreet before her arrest on October 3. Those who have been chargesheeted on Thursday include Pawan Insan, Ved Parkash, Rajinder Singh, Ramesh Kumar, Bhim Sen, Harikesh, Raj Kumar, Ranbir, Dr Daljit Singh and Balraj. They were arrested in the past one and half months for their alleged role in the Panchkula violence conspiracy.

According to police sources, all these accused were part of the crucial meeting chaired by Honeypreet insider dera headquarters in Sirsa to hatch the planning and then spread the arson after dera chief was convicted of rape by local CBI court.

They all have been included in the same FIR number 345 in which Honeypreet and 14 others have been named. So far, the total number of accused in this FIR has touched 25. Sources said that nearly 20 more dera functionaries, including Aditya Insan and Vipassana, are yet to be arrested.

POLICE CHALLENGES BAIL TO HONEYPREET’S FOUR ACCOMPLICES

The Panchkula police on Thursday challenged the bail granted to four accomplices of Honeypreet Insan in connection with the Panchkula violence. The police was left red-faced after the court of additional sessions judge Neerja Kulwant Kalson granted bail to Kherati Lal, Gopal Insan and Pardeep Insan last month. Another dera functionary, Rekam Singh, who was apprehending arrest for his alleged role as conspirator, also managed to get anticipatory bail before police could nab him. In an application moved in Kalson’s court, police pleaded that the bail granted to these four accused should be cancelled and they be put behind bars again since they were tampering with the evidence. Matter will be heard on January 19.