Manohar Lal Khattar
Anybody having basic knowledge of how the Dera Sacha Sauda support works for politicians in Haryana and Punjab knows, each election the Dera has a crucial role as far as support for political parties is concerned. Manohar Lal Khattar faces flak for what is being called political surrender to the Dera Sacha Sauda.
“This was a political surrender to lure vote banks…they were outsiders, you allowed them to enter and stay,” said the three-judge bench.
While the Dera mouthpiece compares Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to Jesus, in stinging comments coming from the High Court it has been said the DCP who has been discharged from duty, is being made a scapegoat.
The HC calls for a deeper probe into the shoddy security arrangements.
On day of conviction Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was travelling in a cavalcade of nearly 200 cars.
There were nearly 6 to 7 lakh people on Haryana roads on day of the Dera violence.
The Dera chief claims his followers are near about 2 crore. In Panchkula alone there were about 50 lakh people.
At 11.30 am Friday Haryana’s Advocate General B R Mahajan claimed except for two spots, a public park and a community hall, most Dera Sacha Sauda followers had been evacuated.
Three hours later all hell broke loose after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s conviction, the Dera followers torched over 70 vehicles and damaged six government buildings.
This was the situation in presence of 128-odd companies of paramilitary forces in
Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, 120 columns of the Army and regular state police.
Nearly 2 lakh supporters converged to stand with Gurmeet Ram Rahim to support him while court proceedings were on.
Dera followers burnt down offices, vehicles and railway stations and turned Panchkula into a virtual war zone. Cops were clearly outnumbered.
In 24 hours time the violence spread from Punjab and Haryana to Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The HC said the Dera would pay for damages and sought a list of its properties.
Top cop BS Sandhu said 36 people have been killed and 269 people have been injured. 212 people were civilians. Property damage was at 18 public and private locations in Haryana.
445 trains were cancelled over Dera violence.
Despite surveillance by drones and helicopters, the cops were caught offguard. Reporters of repute say that incidents at Sirsa and Punchkula will be remembered as worst mistakes of Haryana Administration.
Despite clear intel inputs that lakhs of people will converge at Haryana and Punjab, there have been clear violations of section 144 with people clearly moving in groups having bamboo sticks in their hands and chanting Ram Rahim’s name.
Even as the opposition has got fresh ammo to target the ruling, there are growing calls for Khattar to take the onus on him and quit. But BJP says that the ouster of ML Khattar is out of question.
Interestingly nearly 19 MLAs of the BJP in Haryana led by then party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya went to Dera in 2014 to pay respects soon after the BJP, came to power in Haryana. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has a steady stream of followers across partylines.
Khattar tossed a theory on Friday by saying that anti-social elements and miscreants were behind the violence. This at a time when Dera supporters have been caught red handed with petrol bombs and other explosive material.
24 vehicles were impounded by cops in Panchkula. Five pistols (79 rounds), two rifles (52 rounds), an AK 47, three petrol bombs, iron rods and hockey sticks were recovered.
Shashi Tharoor as a part of Congress has said it is a “transcended failure of governance”.
The BSP has also said that Manohar Lal Khattar should resign immediately.
Haryana on the boil is not a new phenomenon. The state has witnessed people go on rampage during the Rampal episode, the Jat agitation as well.
In November, 2014, six persons died during the 14-day standoff between police and followers of self-styled Godman Sant Rampal. In February last year, at least 30 persons were killed in another police-public clash during the violent Jat agitation.
In a meeting chaired by Amit Shah though it is clear that for now Manohar Lal Khattar is not being summoned to Delhi.
The hearing to decide the quantum of punishment to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will take place inside Rohtak district jail. While there is pressure to ensure things pass off peacefully on the day of August 28th, the administration is being urged to pull up their socks.
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