Panchkula, 23 August(Wishav Warta): The Panchkula police are on their toes as Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda followers started reaching the sect’s Sector-23 based Naam Charcha Ghar three days ahead of the verdict in rape case against the chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here on August 25.
The Dera head has been asked to appear in person before the court. Sources in the department confirmed that more than 30,000 followers have already gathered here, and the number is swelling every hour. This, despite the fact that security agencies were busy in intense frisking of auto-rickshaws and buses on the Zirakpur-Panchkula highway.
Police stopped several vehicles at the Zirakpur main chowk, but could not stop followers walking towards the city. A senior official said that while the situation in Sector 23 is still manageable as the area is across the highway and can be sealed, it will be a concern if the followers enter the main city.Meanwhile, the Chandigarh administration has decided to convert the Sector-16 cricket stadium into a temporary jail for a day. A senior UT officer said orders have been issued to police to convert the stadium into jail on August 25, where at least 10,000 people can be kept. “If anybody tries to break law, we will arrest them,” he said.
The UT will also be deploying senior bureaucrats in various parts of the city to maintain law and order. They have been told not to take leave on the say and keep their mobile phones on and carry extra battery backup.
