Gurmeet Ram Rahim convicted of rape: Five dead, several injured as Dera followers go on rampage

Panchkula: Enraged by the rape conviction of self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Friday, thousands of his followers went on the rampage, hurling stones and vandalising media vehicles. At least five people were killed and scores injured. Police fired in the air and also lobbed tear gas and let loose water cannons on the protesters to quell the violence, which appeared to be spreading in Haryana, Punjab and even Rajasthan. The duty doctor at the Civil Hospital in Panchkula said at least five people were killed. [caption id=“attachment_3970321” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. AP[/caption] A reporter of CNN News 18 TV channel said a steady stream of ambulances was bringing scores of injured people to the hospital, soaked in blood. He described the scene as “chaos.” It was not clear if the injuries were due to police action or violence by Dera followers. “The flow of injured is not stopping,” said the reporter in his dispatch, which also showed pictures of vehicles burning, and at least one person lying motionless by the roadside. The report said the man was dead. It said at least 100 people were injured and eight people may have died, but this could not be immediately confirmed. Immediately after a court in Panchkula convicted the Dera Sacha Sauda chief, many of his followers, including a large number of women, broke police barricades and security cordons. At least three OB vans of private television channels were damaged. Two vans were overturned by a mob.   The police fired in the air and lobbed tear gas shells on sections of the crowds, many of them camping since Thursday night on the streets of Panchkula. The police also used water cannons and batons on the protesters to bring the situation under control. CBI judge Jagdeep Singh, while holding the 50-year-old Dera chief guilty of rape, said the quantum of sentence would be pronounced on 28 August, CBI counsel HPS Verma told reporters outside the court. The punishment can be a jail term of not less than seven years but may even extend to life imprisonment. Army personnel and central paramilitary forces took positions around the CBI court complex in Panchkula, as the area close to the complex was sealed. Follow LIVE updates here