Last week, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was produced in a Panchkula court that left the city devastated as his several hundred-thousand followers went on the rampage despite the presence of the police and the army.
In a landmark judgment a self-styled godman, who has a tremendous following in India’s northern states of Punjab and Haryana, was brought to book on rape charges, on Monday. No reports of violence were recorded after the announcement of court’s decision as the army had clear orders to shoot at sight in case of any disturbance by his followers.
“The court has ordered 10-year jail term for the accused,†said Ram Niwas, a bureaucrat who was in charge of the law and order in the state of Haryana, Reuters reported.
Earlier, on Friday, when Singh was brought to court for the first time, he moved to Panchkula in a cavalcade of more than 200 luxury cars. His followers had thronged the city in large numbers and had threatened to obliterate the city and kill and get killed if their “Pitah Ji†(assumed father) is even touched. Several journalists were also attacked by the Dera followers with sharp-edged weapons. More than three dozen people were reported killed and a couple of hundred were injured after the Friday court hearing.
Friday was a touchstone for the government’s preparation, where it failed pathetically. However, on Monday the entire area was put mainly under army’s control. The police were also deployed in the city, especially in the residential areas, to ensure that the devotees do not take shelter in the neighborhood or try to damage public and private properties.
The 50 year old godman was popular for his odd stunts, for instance, singing love songs, using cheap double-meaning dialogues, wearing fancy, sparkling clothes (that he apparently designed himself), and false making claims that he has taught India’s leading athletes in boxing, cricket, and other sports.
The court’s decision comes after several years of patient hearing by the complainants. It was in 2002 when two women followers alleged that Singh raped them at the Dera Sacha Sauda in the Haryana town of Sirsa, the godman’s headquarters.