Haryana violence: Police seals 9 Dera congregation centres, seize over 2,500 sticks and sharp weapons

Chandigarh: The Kurukshetra Police sealed nine congregation centres of the Dera Sacha Sauda in the district on Saturday, evicting the followers, and seized over 2,500 lathis and other sharp-edged weapons during a search operation there. [caption id=“attachment_3975561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Getty images[/caption] After evicting Dera followers, a large number of security personnel have been deployed outside the Dera Sacha Sauda’s congregation centres to prevent any untoward incident. “All the nine Naam Charcha Ghars (congregation centres) in the district have been sealed and entry to these centres has been banned,” Kurukshetra SP Abhishek Garg told PTI. The move came after the incidents of widespread violence and arson in Haryana following the conviction self-styled godman and sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh yesterday in a 15-year-old rape case by a CBI court in Punchkula. Police carried out search operation in the congregation centres during which they found more than 2,500 lathis and other sharp edges weapons from the premises. “We have recovered 2,500 lathis, some sharp-edged weapons and 2.5 litre kerosene during the search operation. “We have evicted all the followers from the congregation centres and locked all the nine Naam Charcha Ghars in Kurkshetra,” Garg said. The SP said that the situation in Kurukshetra was under control and nobody would be allowed to violate prohibitory orders.