(NDTV)
Just as feared, large clashes, arson and violence erupted in the town of Panchkula in Haryana after spiritual guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted of raping two women followers in 2002. He has been arrested and will be sentenced on Monday. The police fired in the air, and used tear gas and water cannons to try and disperse mobs of Ram Rahim supporters, but was easily outnumbered near the court which declared him guilty. More than a lakh of Ram Rahim’s followers had congregated in Panchkula for the verdict, creating a precarious situation. The media was attacked .Ram Rahim arrived for the verdict in a 200-car motorcade and stood with his eyes closed and hands folded in prayer as the verdict was delivered.
Ram Rahim, age 50, is being moved to a jail in Ambala, said lawyers at the Panchkula court, where violence erupted rapidly after he was declared guilty of rape. A petrol pump and part of a train station have reportedly been set on fire in Malaout in Punjab. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has made another appeal for peace.But the violence is spreading. Panchkula has been overwhelmed by one lakh followers of Ram Rahim – clusters of them proliferated over the last two days. The army is on standby at the request of Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar. Earlier today, the Punjab and Haryana High Court authorised security forces to use force if needed, to control upset supporters; it has also warned against the use of provocative language.
