(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Authorities yesterday deployed thousands of riot police and shut down Internet services in Punjab and Haryana ahead of the sentencing today of self-styled ‘godman' Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh whose followers went on the rampage after he was convicted of rape on Friday.
His cult Dera Sacha Sauda has a vast rural following in the two states, where frenzied mobs burned down gas stations and train stations and torched vehicles after a court found him guilty of raping two women in a 2002 case.
At least 38 people were killed and more than 200 injured in the violence in Haryana, officials said, drawing sharp criticism for the state government run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The case has also highlighted the Indian heartland's fascination with spiritual gurus, who enjoy immense political clout for their ability to mobilise millions of followers frustrated by the shortcomings of the state.
Security forces have cordoned off a jail in Rohtak city, 70km from New Delhi, where Ram Rahim also known as the guru of bling for the clothes he wears in the movies he has starred in is being held.
Special Central Bureau of Investigation judge Jagdeep Singh who convicted him will hold a special hearing inside the prison in Rohtak around 2.30pm today to decide the punishment, in a move that officials hope will prevent his followers from gathering in the streets like they did on Friday.
Ram Rahim faces a minimum of seven years in prison.
The town of Sirsa, home to Dera's headquarters, is already under lockdown, B S Sandhu, Haryana's police chief, said.
Schools and colleges have been ordered shut, the government said.
'We're fully prepared, we have a contingency plan in place, Sandhu said, adding that more than 10,000 police would patrol the state as it awaits the Dera chief's sentencing.
'We have made multi-layered arrangements so that nobody is able to reach the venue (prison) or enter Rohtak district itself, Deputy Inspector General of Police Navdeep Singh Virk said.
'I am fully confident everything will go on peacefully and there will be no untoward incident tomorrow.
As a precautionary measure, all senior members of Dera sect have been placed under 'preventive detention, he added.
Neighbouring Punjab, where violence was sporadic, has summoned more than 8,000 paramilitary and police, banned large gatherings and switched off mobile Internet connections across the state until tomorrow, its top administrator said.
'Our intelligence reports caution that there could be arson and some other incidents, Karan Avtar Singh, the chief secretary to Punjab government, said.
The Haryana government has faced severe criticism from opposition Congress and the Punjab and Haryana High Court for failing to stop the rioting and vandalism.
Ram Rahim, whose verified Twitter profile calls him a saint, philanthropist, sportsman, actor, singer, movie director, writer, lyricists, and autobiographer, has been photographed with senior BJP leaders including Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Last year a Haryana minister announced the state would donate Rs5mn to the Dera to promote sports.
Bir Kumar Yadav, BJP's Haryana spokesman, said the party had been associated with Ram Rahim only in his capacity as a social worker who had spread awareness about public sanitation and cleanliness.
The guilty verdict, and police response to the rioting that followed, enraged many of his supporters.
'Our father can never do any sin, said devotee Trilok Insaan at a shop in Sirsa adorned with posters of a heavily-bearded Ram Rahim.
'This is a conspiracy. Authorities issued a ‘shoot at sight' order at innocent devotees, which is totally wrong.
Ram Rahim's conviction in the rape case is the latest in a series of cases involving spiritual leaders who have been accused of sexually abusing followers, amassing untaxed money and finding favour with politicians.
Besides the rape charges, he is also under investigation over allegations that he convinced 400 of his male followers to undergo castration, allegations he denies.
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