National
Chandigarh, Panchkula on edge ahead of court verdict on Dera chief (Roundup)
By Vishal Gulati
Chandigarh, Aug 24 (IANS) Chandigarh and its nearby Panchkula town were on Thursday turned into fortresses with curfew-like restrictions in place as tens of thousands of followers of Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh gathered ahead of a crucial court verdict in a rape case against him.
Singing in praise of their spiritual leader, his followers in Panchkula, who are still arriving in droves, said they were here just to seek blessings from the “messenger of God”.
The verdict will be pronounced on Friday by the special CBI in Panchkula which has asked the self-styled godman, whose sect is headquartered at Sirsa in Haryana, to remain present at the time of the judgment.
The Dera chief appealed to his followers to maintain peace and said he would appear before the court on Friday.
“I have always respected the law. Despite pain in my back, I will obey the law and must visit the court,” Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh tweeted.
He urged his followers to maintain peace. “I believe in God. All should maintain peace.”
Thousands of security personnel, comprising paramilitary forces, have been deployed to prevent the “premis” or sect followers from arriving in Panchkula.
The sect chief has lakhs of followers in Punjab, Haryana and other states. He has been accused by a former female follower of raping her more than once inside the sprawling Dera campus on the outskirts of Sirsa town, 260 km from Chandigarh.
Braving rains in the evening, devotee Bhag Singh, who has come from Moga town in Punjab along with over 100 followers, said: “We are here just to seek his blessings. For us he’s god.”
“Since he is coming here, we have decided to reach Panchkula ahead of his arrival,” an elated Singh, who is a farmer, told IANS.
Like him, nearly two lakh sect followers have descended on Panchkula and nearby places from mostly across Punjab and Haryana.
They are spending their nights in the open. However, a few managed to take shelter in government buildings, while most spent the night on roads and parks.
Most of his followers, who also ran community kitchens, spent their time singing religious songs in praise of Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
“We have nothing to do with the court case and we do not know anything about it. We only know our father is coming here on Friday,” devotee Ashok Kumar, who has come from Panipat in Haryana, said.
Despite the government stopping the plying of buses towards Chandigarh and Panchkula beyond Ambala, 45 km from here, the flow of ‘premis’ continued.
A sea of devotees en route to Panchkula was seen travelling on foot beyond Ambala.
“Since our ‘guru-ji’ is coming, we have decided to reach Panchkula to get his blessings. So we have decided to reach the venue on foot,” said Bhag Singh, who is from Hisar in Haryana.
Bhag Singh and his family were carrying eatables for the community kitchen.
His wife Nirmal Kaur said the “guru ji” is like their father.
“The government is just trying to frame him in a false case. We know he will be acquitted by the court,” she added.
As a precautionary measure, the Haryana government has imposed prohibitory orders across the state and shut all schools and colleges in Panchkula and Sirsa districts till August 25.
Sacha Sauda sect followers have a high concentration in Sangrur, Barnala, Mansa, Bathinda, Fazilka, Faridkot and Ferozepore districts of Punjab. Most of these districts are close to Sirsa in Haryana.
Authorities imposed curfew-like restrictions in Chandigarh and Panchkula and shut mobile internet services in Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh for three days from Thursday.
Fearing violence by the huge mass of Dera supporters gathered at Sirsa and in Panchkula where the court is based, officials announced several other restrictive steps.
Plying of buses to Chandigarh and Panchkula would be suspended till Friday. Likewise, the Railways cancelled 22 trains bound for Haryana. A Northern Railway spokesman said six trains going to Haryana were cancelled on Thursday.
More than 15,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Punjab and Haryana, a senior official told IANS.
In a bid to discourage more people from reaching Panchkula, Haryana Roadways stopped plying buses for two days bound for Chandigarh and Panchkula.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar told all ministers and legislators to be in their constituencies till Friday.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the Centre to provide additional forces ahead of the judgment.
Apprehending violence in case the court’s judgment went against the sect chief on Friday, a Division Bench of acting Chief Justice Surinder Singh Saron and Justice Avneesh Jhingan said they “did not want a situation similar to the Jat reservation stir”.
(Vishal Gulati can be reached at [email protected])
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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