Ram Rahim sentencing: 'Shoot at sight' in place, confirms Rohtak DC

Rohtak: Ahead of the court proceedings against rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Monday, Rohtak District Collector (DC) Atul Kumar confirmed that shoot at sight will be imposed on any miscreants trying to harm innocent natives.

"We have discussed our plan of action in a meeting today, and have clarity on what needs to be done. If any person is seen as a threat to the peace of the region or tries to harm anybody or himself, shoot at sight orders will be passed immediately. We are maintaining strict vigil and will not tolerate carelessness of any kind," Atul said.

Ensuring thorough compliance with the orders of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Kumar stated that the Army has been alerted ahead of the sentencing of the Dera Chief, and if any form of uprising is witnessed, they will be brought in within an hour of being notified.

"We currently have 23 factions of paramilitary forces who have been deployed. The Army has also been alerted about the situation. The minute we get to know anything, they will be summoned in an hour. So far everything is functioning normally. However, we are keeping our patrolling constant throughout the night as well," he said.

In order to avoid unnecessary movement of vehicles, Kumar said schools and colleges would remain closed in the area.

In an appeal to the media and others, Kumar stated that any unnecessary movement around Sunaria jail must be avoided, keeping the intensity of the situation in mind.

"I would like to tell the media and others to try and restrict movement around Sunaria jail. We have beefed up security arrangements, and if a person is not able to validate the reason for his presence in the area, he could be detained by the police. Also, any unlawful entry into the jail or unnecessary mob formation in the area could lead to immediate arrests," said Kumar.

The past few days in Panchkula, Sirsa and the neighbouring areas have witnessed a volatile situation, after the Dera Chief Ram Rahim was convicted of rape charges levied on him.

The court proceedings against the rape convict are scheduled to take place around 2:30 pm today.

Earlier, Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu had revealed that 52 cases were registered so far and 926 arrests were made.

"At least 52 cases have been registered so far and 926 people have been arrested. As for casualties, 38 people have died in the violence. 6 casualties are from Sirsa and 32 are from Panchkula. All bodies in Sirsa have been identified, but in Panchkula, 24 have been identified through post-mortem, the rest are yet to be identified. Of the 250 injured," he said.

Following the instances of violence, arrangements were made for the sitting of a CBI Court in Sunaria District Jail for the pronouncement of quantum of sentence against Ram Rahim Singh.

People vacated the Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram in Bajenka village and the whole premises are being inspected by Police and Army in located in Sirsa district of Haryana.