Death Toll In Haryana Violence Reaches 38, CBI Court To Sentence Dera Chief Ram Rahim Tomorrow

Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim/File photo

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim verdict: With police apparently helpless to stop the violence, the emboldened protesters set fire to vehicles and buildings, including two railway stations in Punjab. (AP Photo)

Addressing a press conference, DGP Sandhu said that in Haryana, only Sirsa, where the sect is headquartered, was now under curfew.

Asked about a 35-year-old cameraman of a news channel being attacked today at Sirsa allegedly by Dera followers, Sandhu said a case has been registered in this regard.

He sought to assure media persons that the police will give them full protection, but urged them to take precautions when they venture out into sensitive areas.

In Rohtak, foolproof arrangements have been made and all routes leading to the jail have been sealed, DGP Sandhu said.

On Friday, the court had convicted the Dera chief in a rape case.

"The top priority now is to ensure that law and order is maintained when the sentencing of convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief takes place in Rohtak tomorrow," he said. The DGP added that the death toll in the violence that broke out in Panchkula and Sirsa after the conviction of the Dera chief on Friday had risen to 38.

Maintaining law and order will be the top priority for the Haryana police on Monday, when the quantum of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's sentence will be announced, state DGP B S Sandhu said on Sunday even as the toll in Friday's violence rose to 38.

To ensure there was no repeat of violence that erupted in Panchkula last week when thousands of Dera followers gathered around the CBI court that convicted Singh in a rape case, all routes to the Sunaria jail in Rohtak, where the self-styled godman has been lodged, have been sealed.