Police ‘reluctant’ to search dera

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, August 31

The Haryana Police have no immediate plan to enter Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa to sanitise its premises even though searches are being carried out in Naam Charcha Ghar in many other towns across the state.It is being alleged that the state government is avoiding search of the dera till paramilitary forces and the military are deployed in the area, as recovery of any incriminating material or weapons will cause it much embarrassment. The government in a report submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court after the Rampal incident had given the dera the clean chit.“We will inform you if and when we have any plan to enter the dera,” Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Prabhjot Singh told The Tribune.However, police sources confirmed that there was no immediate plan to enter the dera as there were no such orders from the higher authorities. “The state government is deliberately avoiding entering Dera Sacha Sauda lest the Army and paramilitary forces get to know about its connivance with Ram Rahim Singh. The government had given the clean chit to the dera in a report submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court after the Rampal incident,” said Lekh Raj Dhot, a senior advocate from Sirsa.After the Rampal incident, the High Court had ordered a search of Dera Sacha Sauda to unearth illegal arms and ammunition and periodical monitoring of its activities in view of intelligence inputs that ex-servicemen were imparting weapon training to dera activists.“When Sirsa administration and police officers went to search the dera, they were made to leave their weapons and security guards outside. The dera men took the officials to the places of their choice and they were made to sign on the dotted line, as per the directions of the BJP government. Now, if the Army and paramilitary forces recover illegal weapons, it will be a major embarrassment for the government,” said Dhot.Meanwhile, the district authorities today relaxed the curfew in areas around dera buildings for three hours. However, residents alleged that the police harassed those who wanted to go towards the Arnianwali road.Meanwhile, the situation in Sirsa town remained peaceful throughout the day. Most of the schools and colleges, except those managed by the dera, were open though the attendance was very thin.

5 cops sacked for bid to ‘free’ dera chief

Key confidant in custody, four on run

Chandigarh August 31

The Manohar Lal Khattar government today dismissed five Haryana policemen in convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief’s security team for trying to “free” him after the special CBI court verdict on August 25, even as the incharge of dera mouthpiece “Sach Kahoon” Surender Dhiman Insan, facing sedition charges, gave himself up at a police station here. A local court remanded him in police custody for seven days.Of the five dismissed cops — Ajay, Ram Singh, Vijay Singh, Balwan Singh and Sub-Inspector Krishan Das — three were trained commandos. They, along with dera’s two private security guards Pritam Singh and Sukhbir, were initially booked under Section 307 (attempt to murder) and the Arms Act with sedition charges slapped later. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)In the ‘Z plus’ security team of the dera chief for several years, they had allegedly “slapped” an IG-rank official, scuffled with two more senior officers and blocked a police vehicle at the Panchkula Districts Courts Complex.Meanwhile, lookout notices have been issued against dera spokesperson Aditya Insan and three others, booked for “inciting violence”. An alert has been issued to ensure they did not flee the country. — TNS