Chandigarh and its nearby Panchkula town were on Thursday turned into fortresses with curfew-like restrictions in place as tens of thousands of followers of Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh gathered ahead of a crucial court verdict in a rape case against him.
Singing in praise of their spiritual leader, his followers in Panchkula, who are still arriving in droves, said they were here just to seek blessings from the "messenger of God".
The verdict will be pronounced on Friday by the special CBI in Panchkula which has asked the self-styled godman, whose sect is headquartered at Sirsa in Haryana, to remain present at the time of the judgment.
The Dera chief appealed to his followers to maintain peace and said he would appear before the court on Friday.
"I have always respected the law. Despite pain in my back, I will obey the law and must visit the court," Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh tweeted.
He urged his followers to maintain peace. "I believe in God. All should maintain peace."
Thousands of security personnel, comprising paramilitary forces, have been deployed to prevent the "premis" or sect followers from arriving in Panchkula.
The sect chief has lakhs of followers in Punjab, Haryana and other states. He has been accused by a former female follower of raping her more than once inside the sprawling Dera campus on the outskirts of Sirsa town, 260 km from Chandigarh.
Braving rains in the evening, devotee Bhag Singh, who has come from Moga town in Punjab along with over 100 followers, said: "We are here just to seek his blessings. For us he's god."
"Since he is coming here, we have decided to reach Panchkula ahead of his arrival," an elated Singh, who is a farmer, told IANS.
Like him, nearly two lakh sect followers have descended on Panchkula and nearby places from mostly across Punjab and Haryana.
They are spending their nights in the open. However, a few managed to take shelter in government buildings, while most spent the night on roads and parks.
Most of his followers, who also ran community kitchens, spent their time singing religious songs in praise of Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
"We have nothing to do with the court case and we do not know anything about it. We only know our father is coming here on Friday," devotee Ashok Kumar, who has come from Panipat in Haryana, said.
Despite the government stopping the plying of buses towards Chandigarh and Panchkula beyond Ambala, 45 km from here, the flow of 'premis' continued.
A sea of devotees en route to Panchkula was seen travelling on foot beyond Ambala.
"Since our 'guru-ji' is coming, we have decided to reach Panchkula to get his blessings. So we have decided to reach the venue on foot," said Bhag Singh, who is from Hisar in Haryana.
Bhag Singh and his family were carrying eatables for the community kitchen.
His wife Nirmal Kaur said the "guru ji" is like their father.
"The government is just trying to frame him in a false case. We know he will be acquitted by the court," she added.
As a precautionary measure, the Haryana government has imposed prohibitory orders across the state and shut all schools and colleges in Panchkula and Sirsa districts till August 25.
Authorities imposed curfew-like restrictions in Chandigarh and Panchkula and shut mobile internet services in Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh for three days from Thursday.
Fearing violence by the huge mass of Dera supporters gathered at Sirsa and in Panchkula where the court is based, officials announced several other restrictive steps.
Plying of buses to Chandigarh and Panchkula would be suspended till Friday. Likewise, the Railways cancelled 22 trains bound for Haryana. A Northern Railway spokesman said six trains going to Haryana were cancelled on Thursday.
More than 15,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Punjab and Haryana, a senior official told IANS.
In a bid to discourage more people from reaching Panchkula, Haryana Roadways stopped plying buses for two days bound for Chandigarh and Panchkula.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar told all ministers and legislators to be in their constituencies till Friday.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the Centre to provide additional forces ahead of the judgment.
Apprehending violence in case the court's judgment went against the sect chief on Friday, a Division Bench of acting Chief Justice Surinder Singh Saron and Justice Avneesh Jhingan said they "did not want a situation similar to the Jat reservation stir".
WHY DERA SACHA SAUDA ATTRACTS SUCH HUGE FOLLOWIN
Why do so many people throng the Dera and follow the sect head who has repeatedly courted controversy besides acting in films. He is probably the only sect head in the country to have acted in films.
CASTE EQUALITY
Caste equality at the dera is one such reason. “We experience peace in the spiritual environs at the Sirsa Dera and at various Naam Charcha Ghars in our town. Besides, the Dera life provides an equal status to all castes,” says Prem Insaan, a resident of a colony near Bathinda Railway Station.
He says there is so much discrimination in society on the basis of caste. “Different communities and castes have their own temples and gurdwaras in Punjab and Haryana, but at our Dera all are equal. We all have one surname—Insaan—which means human. The Dera advocates humanity. We may be Hindu, Sikh or anything else, but we have failed to end caste divisions in society. At the Dera, these divisions get erased,” Prem adds.
HUMBLE MANAGEMENT RANKING
For some, the humble ranking of the Dera management is also an attraction. Sukhvir Insaan, a Dalit from Mansa, says the Dera management has devised nomenclature like Insaan to advocate not just equality but also humility.
“The management divides the state into zones which are further divided into units. Each unit is headed by a man who is given the title Bhangi Dass. The word Bhangi is used for low-caste people. But when the unit head is called this, it lends it respect. That is why so many low-caste people are Dera followers.”
SUBSIDISED FOOD AND FREE MEDICINE
Subsidised food and free medicine is another huge attraction. “The Dera headquarters in Sirsa and the district units provide subsidised ration to its members. This is a boon for the poor. Unlike government schemes, like free ration for BPL families, which are often delayed or marred by corruption, the supply of subsidised ration at the Dera is smooth and equal for all,” says Bathinda-based follower Swarn Insaan.
Dera followers have a high concentration in the belt comprising Sangrur, Barnala, Mansa, Bathinda, Fazilka, Faridkot and Ferozepur districts. Most of these districts are close to Sirsa in Haryana and are thus influenced by the Dera. The region is plagued by cancer and knee problems owing to the bad quality of water. The dera offers free treatment to such patients.
“They have a system of providing free treatment. A Bhangi Dass collects slips from the followers in his area about the disease they are suffering from. He coordinates with the Dera headquarters and takes appointment. The free treatment, along with the spiritual environs of the Dera, acts as a great pull for poor patients or even those from middle-class families,” says a Bhangi Dass from Sangrur.
SIKHS RESENT FORCES AROUND GURDWARAS
The Rajasthan Sikh Advisory Committee has flayed the state police for linking Sikhs with the situation arising out of court case hearing against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
At a meeting called at the city police station in Sriganganagar today Sikh leaders Gurbachan Singh Wasan, Satnam Singh Lada, Harbans Singh Chawla, Baljinder Singh Behl and Santveer Singh Mohanpura resented the deployment of security forces around gurdwaras in rural and urban segments across the border district. They also decried attempts to bring them face to face with dera followers at such meetings.
Later, Rajasthan Sikh Advisory Committee convener Tejinderpal Singh Timma said in a statement that Sikhs had nothing to do with the court proceedings or judgments concerning the dera chief. He appealed to the Sikhs not to react to the court judgment, whatever it may be.
PREMIS CLOSE SHOPS, START MOVING TOWARDS SIRSA AND PANCHKULA
In more trouble for security agencies, lakhs of followers of Dera Sacha Sauda have closed their shops and other business establishments across the state and along with their families, have started moving towards Dera headquarters Sirsa and Panchkula to express solidarity with Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Sources among Dera followers said that after a discussion, all followers who run various businesses and shops across the state, have closed their establishments and have converged in their respective Nam Charcha Ghars from where they are moving towards Sirsa and Panchkula in small groups.
Premis, as Dera followers are known, from Samana, Patiala and Nabha also shut their shops and left for Panchkula. They say they will camp for the night on the streets and wait for the court verdict tomorrow. Hundreds of them, including women, have left for Panchkula.
“No one asked us to close our shops, but we have decided on our own. I, along with my family, am going to Panchkula to attend the court hearing on Friday,” said Ravinder, a local Dera follower who runs a shop in the main market.
Followers have booked local vehicles. All devotees wear special lockets of the Dera and they have hidden them under their vests.
“All Dera followers have closed their shops and other business establishments on their own without any direction from the Dera. All are moving towards the Sirsa Dera and Panchkula. They have great respect for the court, but they want to express solidarity with the Dera head during the court hearing,” said Harinder Insan Mangwal, a member of 45-member Punjab state executive committee of the Dera.
WILL APPEAR IN PANCHKULA COURT, SAYS DERA CHIEF
Breaking week-long suspense over his appearance, Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Thursday said he would go to the Panchkula court on August 25.
In a Facebook post, which he later tweeted from his official handle, the Dera chief said he respected the law and despite his backache he would go to Panchkula. He also told his followers to maintain peace.
हमने सदा क़ानून का सम्मान किया है।हालाँकि हमारी back में दर्द है,फिर भी क़ानून की पालना करते हुए हम कोर्ट ज़रूर जाएँगे।हमें भगवान पर दृढ़ यक़ीन है।सभी शान्ति बनाए रखे
Posted by Saint Dr. MSG on Wednesday, 23 August 2017
“I have always respected the law. Though I have a backache, I will abide by the law and will go to court. I have full faith in God. Everyone should maintain peace,” is the English translation of the Dera chief’s message in Hindi posted at noon on Thursday.
Within an hour, his tweet attracted over 8,500 retweets and 9,000 likes.
The Dera chief was accused of rape in 1999. The CBI took over the investigation in 2002. On August 17, the special CBI court of Panchkula concluded hearing in the case, but reserved pronouncing the verdict for August 25.
For the August 17 hearing, Gurmeet was exempted from appearing in person at Panchkula by the court. The Dera chief had cited medical reasons for not attending court in person.
The case was registered by the CBI in 2002 against the Dera chief after allegations of sexual exploitation of two women followers through anonymous letters. ARMY ON STANDBY; CURFEW IMPOSED IN SIRSA The Army was on Thursday evening put on standby in Haryana and Punjab even as authorities ordered imposition of curfew in Sirsa town from 10 p.m. onwards, on the eve of a court verdict in a rape case against controversial self-styled godman Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh.
Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Prabhjot Singh said that the curfew would remain imposed till further orders.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh told media here on Thursday evening that the Punjab government and police were fully prepared to deal with any situation emerging after the court verdict.
"We have made adequate deployment of police and para-military forces. The Army is on standby (if the situation demands). We are in touch with the Western Command and the south western command," the Chief Minister said.
Haryana Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Ram Niwas, said that the Army has been alerted and would be requisitioned if the situation demanded.
He said that senior Haryana Police officers have been deputed along with civil administration officers to deal with any situation.
The tri-city area of Panchkula, Chandigarh and Mohali (in Punjab) were turned into a fortress, ahead of Friday's judgment by CBI special court judge Jagdeep Singh.
The situation in Sirsa and Panchkula towns, both in Haryana, was tense on Thursday with thousands of sect followers converging at both places in support of the sect chief and announcing that they were ready for a "do or die" battle for their leader, and the security personnel being stationed in large numbers to maintain law and order.
Curfew-like restrictions have been imposed in Panchkula, Sirsa, Chandigarh and some other places, with educational institutions shut for two days (Thursday and Friday), trains cancelled and bus services disrupted. Authorities have suspended mobile internet services (including 2G, 3G, 4G, CDMA and GPRS) and all SMS services and all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except voice calls for the next three days, while shops in Panchkula and Sirsa have been shut and stadiums converted into temporary jail complexes.
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court in Panchkula town in Haryana is to announce its verdict in the alleged rape and sexual exploitation of a 'sadhvi' (female religious follower) by the sect chief on Friday.
Haryana and Punjab, where the sect has millions of followers, was put on high alert on Thursday with thousands of security personnel stationed in sensitive areas.
The alleged rape and sexual exploitation, first reported through an anonymous letter in 2002 to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court here, has taken nearly 15 years to reach the verdict stage. The High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the matter.
The sect followers regard their chief, who has a colourful and controversial personality and has acted in and directed three movies, as a "messenger of god".
Thousands of security personnel, including para-military forces, have been deployed to control the "premis" or sect followers at Panchkula, as they converged from across the region.
