Chandigarh: The Haryana police on Monday recovered a huge cache of ultra-modern arms and ammunition from the headquarters of Dera Sacha Sauda in Haryana’s Sirsa. They recovered 33 licensed arms, which include 9-mm pistols, several single and double-barrel rifles and a modified carbine.
Confirming the developments chief minister Manohar Lal Khatar said that some objectionable items were found during the search at Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa following the arrest of chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, and these have been seized. Besides, as many as 117 Namcharcha Ghars, associated with the Dera, have been sanitized in the state.
The chief minister said the search operation would now be launched under the supervision of court. The Dera has deposited its arms with the state government and the people there are cooperating with the government.
Asked about searching other Deras in the state, Mr Manohar Lal said, “It is okay if these are running in right manner but, in case any complaint is received against any one of them, strict action would be taken.” Earlier the police said their target was to recover all licensed as well as illegal arms from the Dera chief’s followers.
According to the Sirsa Sadar SHO Dinesh Kumar “All followers inside the Dera posess such weapons. There are almost 67 weapons with the people living in Dera, out of which, the police have recovered 33. The police have given strict orders that an action would be taken against those found possessing such weapons,” he said.
“We had asked Dera followers to deposit their weapons within two days,” said Kumar. A special CBI court in Panchkula had sentenced the Dera chief to 20-year imprisonment in the rape case on August 28.
50-year-old Ram Rahim Singh is lodged in the Sunaria jail in Rohtak district, where a thick blanket of security has been thrown.
