Indian city barricaded as rape guru awaits sentencing
Supporters of an Indian guru ended a tense standoff with soldiers yesterday after the “godman” was convicted of rape, but authorities are bracing for more trouble on the eve of his sentencing after rioting by devotees left 36 dead. Thousands of followers of Ram Rahim Singh had congregated in the spiritual headquarters of his sect in the northern state of Haryana over the weekend and refused to leave, despite calls from police and troops for them to disperse. Singh’s loyalists had gone on a rampage in many other parts of the state after the court decision Friday.
Yesterday, followers began trickling out from the compound in the town of Sirsa one by one under army guard. Hundreds of soldiers and riot police had blocked approaches to the premises spread over 1,000 acres and were urging those holed up inside to surrender peacefully. A curfew imposed in Sirsa, where soldiers patrolled empty streets, was briefly lifted Sunday morning to allow Singh’s followers to leave the headquarters as spiritual anthems blared from megaphones. Indian authorities have been on high alert since rioting and arson broke out minutes after Singh-who has starred in films and claims to have 50 million followers-was found guilty of raping two of his devotees. Police said at least 36 people were killed as tens of thousands of followers took to the streets, attacking television vans and setting fire to dozens of vehicles.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said yesterday it was “natural to be worried” as the violence even briefly reached the capital New Delhi. “Violence is not acceptable in the nation, in any form,” Modi said in his monthly radio address. “Those who take law in their hands or take to violence will not be spared, whoever they are.” But his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which is also in power in Haryana, has come under heavy fire for failing to prevent the outbreak of violence and allowing the 50-year-old guru to travel in a luxury chopper to jail. Critics say state authorities grossly underestimated the risk posed by the 200,000-strong army of Singh devotees who poured onto the streets vowing to defend their spiritual leader who they consider innocent. — AFP