Chandigarh/New Delhi: At least 13 people have been killed in Panchkula in Haryana and a train near Delhi has been set on fire by unruly moby after a CBI Court on Friday found Dera Sacha Sauda Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh guilty in a rape case.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted by the CBI Court of raping two women followers in 2002. He was flown in a government helicopter, reportedly to Rohtak, immediately afeter the court verdict.
The CBI Court will pronounce the punishment on Monday.
More than 200 people have been reportedly injured in the violent protest. The rioters have torched at least two railway stations, a power grid and petrol pumps in Haryana.
Panchkula was covered in thick smoke by 5 pm. Ambulances were shuttling injured people to local hospitals. At least one car and a fire engine were set on fire. The media was attacked; an NDTV live broadcast van was set on fire and totally destroyed. An NDTV engineer was held down by a mob and hit on the head.
The violence spread quickly to other towns including Bhatinda in Punjab and Sirsa in Haryana, where Ram Rahim's headquarters are located on a campus that extends to hundreds of acres.
In Delhi, a train has been set on fire in Anand Vihar and two buses have also been torched in Nand Nagri. Many media persons, have also been attacked.
The government's claims of keeping the situation under control have fallen flat. The police was caught on camera retreating as Ram Rahim supporters advanced menacingly.
Haryana Jail Minister says Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim will be lodged in a Guest House at the Sunaria Jail in Rohtak.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the state administration cannot be blamed for the ongoing violence in the state of Haryana, adding that the state administration had taken all the precautionary measures.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court orders attachment of all properties owned by the Dera Sacha Sauda chief to compensate for all the destruction caused by the spiritual leader's supporters. The HC has also indicated that the policemen involved will be punished.
According to NDTV, Ram Rahim arrived for the verdict in a 200-car cavalcade and stood with his eyes closed and hands folded in prayer as the verdict was delivered. By last night, Panchkula was over-run by more than one lakh followers of Ram Rahim - clusters of them proliferated over the last two days, despite the Haryana government's claims of roping off the city.