Security was tightened around the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa, Haryana, ahead of a “sanitation process” to be carried out on Thursday. An indefinite curfew was imposed around the premises, with certain relaxations during mornings and evenings.
Personnel of the Haryana Police, paramilitary forces and anti-bomb squads as well as Special Weapons and Tactics teams have been deployed. About 16 barricades have also been set up near the Dera, according to The Indian Express.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had appointed retired Judge Anil Kumar Singh Pawar as the court commissioner to search and sanitise the Dera headquarters after the Haryana Police seized a cache of 33 licensed weapons from the premises. Pawar is expected to reach Sirsa on Thursday morning. “The administration will take action under his leadership and guidance,” Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Prabhjot Singh told The Indian Express.
The Sirsa district administration has also asked people to claim compensation for the damages they suffered during the violence that followed the Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s conviction in two rape cases. He was sentenced to 20 years in jail. The police were criticised for inefficiency after 38 people died and over 250 were injured in the violence that erupted after the verdict.
The victims have been told to report their losses to a committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner within 15 days. It will then be sent to the government. Heads of departments, boards, corporations and other public institutions can also report their losses, PTI reported, citing a spokesperson of the district administration.
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