Following the District Court’s verdict announced against the Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim on Friday, the violent followers of Rahim demonstrated attack in Panchkula engulfing Haryana in clouds of utter bloodshed, destructiveness and turbulence.
The district court on Friday announced the verdict in a case pending from 15 years against the Dera Sachha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. A sadhvi from his ashram had filed a case against him alleging him of sexually assaulting her. The court on 25 Aug convicted Rah Rahim in the rape case, igniting a fire in lakhs of agitated followers of Rahim. As soon as the court announced its decision, lakhs of his followers in Panchkula and back in Dera Ashram in Sirsi broke out on the roads, putting vehicles and properties on fire.
In spite of heavy security and all the adjoining boundaries along with the entry and exit to Haryana sealed lakhs of his followers managed to enter the State. The State administration had taken every possible step to prevent any situation challenging the law and order of Haryana, but the as expected verdict infuriated Rahim’s followers and violence broke out in the state within minutes of the announcement.
Prior to the meeting keeping the seriousness of the situation in mind and taking precautionary steps 167 companies of paramilitary forces were deployed in the state. Among the 167 companies, 97 were CRPF companies out of which 4 were women CRPF companies. Along with these 16 RAF, 21 BSF, 12 ITBP and 37 SSB companies were also deployed in Punjab and Haryana. The Center had sent 9700 CRPF personnel to Haryana to keep the system alert. About 64,000 personnel were deployed in Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh. Also, article 144 was issued in the state, stating prevention of gathering of more than four people.
The question that arises here is that if the security was so tight and the state administration had taken so many steps to handle the expected violence, why did the government fail to curb the problem? The opposition parties are criticising the state government and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for drastically failing in maintaining peace in the state. In his statement to the Indian Express Congress leader Manish Tewari told that “what happened in Haryana was premeditated, orchestrated and deliberately provoked violence in which, in addition to the Haryana government, the Centre is equally culpable”.
Another senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi also attacking Khattar questioned that “When reports of people gathering with violent intent were there before the government why wasn’t pre-emptive action taken. Panchkula is home to the Western Command of the Indian Army. If the Haryana police or the paramilitary forces were incapable, as the Jat agitation had demonstrated, then why wasn’t the Army deployed in a preemptive move?”
Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi also held talks with Punjab Prime Minister Armaindra Singh and expressed her distress on the way Haryana Chief Minister handled the situation. While senior Congress leader P Chidambaram tweeted that “CM Khattar sets the new standard for maximum government, minimum governance.”
PM Modi's exhortation turned on its head by CM Khattar. Haryana's mantra is 'maximum government, minimum
governance'.— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 25, 2017
The opposition is demanding the resignation of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattarfor utterly failing to handle the situation in the state. The critics said that the court a week in advance told that the final hearing of the Sadhvi rape case was to be held on 25 Aug and the Haryana CM had enough time to prepare for the expected violence. Blaming both the state and the central government responsible for the violence that broke out in different places in Haryana the critics said the government has acted very lethargically, not taking the matter very seriously.