Arson in Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan; Mobile internet put off in Dera chief’s birthplace; Modi condemns violence; Security forces working work round-the-clock to restore normalcy; Congress seeks resignation from Haryana CM
♦ At least 32 people were killed and over 350 injured in violence that took place in Haryana after the maverick head of Dera Sacha Sauda was convicted of rape in a 2002 case.
♦ About 485 trains were affected by the violence in Punjab and Haryana, out of which 445 were cancelled.
♦ Arson was also witnessed in Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan within a few hours of the pronouncement of the judgement by the CBIcourt here in the 2002 case.
♦ At least three instances of arson have occurred in Ganganagar district of Rajasthan, the birthplace of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, after he was convicted
♦ Mobile internet put off in Dera chief’s birthplace in Rajasthan
♦ Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strongly condemned the “deeply distressing” violence that swept Haryana and some other states after conviction of self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case and appealed for peace.
♦ Modi reviewed the situation with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and said officials have been asked to work round-the-clock to restore normalcy.
♦ Given the violence by Dera Sacha Sauda followers after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s concivtion, the hearing on the controversial godman’s sentencing will take place through video-conferencing on August 28. The punishment can be a jail term not less than 10 years, since the victim was a minor at the time of the assault, but may even extend to life imprisonment.
♦ The Congress has called for the resignation of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar over the violence
♦ Canada and the United Kingdom have asked their citizens travelling to India to exercise a high degree of caution following the widespread violence
♦ BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj said, “Who is right? Crores of people who see god in Ram Rahim or that girl who filed a complaint? Accusing a noble soul like Ram Rahim (sic) … There is so much of ruckus over it, law and order has been disturbed, people are dying… Shouldn’t this be a consideration.”
