Gurmeet Ram Rahim rape case verdict: Airfares to Chandigarh shoot up

The Punjab and Haryana police have been put on high alert.

Ahead of the court verdict in the rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Friday, the airfares to Chandigarh have skyrocketed.

The air travel between Delhi and Chandigarh usually costs between Rs 1,600 to Rs 3,000, but on Wednesday it touched Rs 8,000. A Spicejet ticket between Chandigarh and Delhi, scheduled for 8:25 pm, cost Rs 7,992 while a Jet Airways ticket cost Rs 6,112, said an HT report.

All in all, people are wary of travelling to Chandigarh with reports claiming that Ram Rahim's followers may resort to violence if the decision is not in his favour.

The Director General of Punjab in a letter to all senior police officers has said that the Dera Sacha Sauda Sirsa premises have stock of petrol, diesel in drums. Stones and sharp-edged weapons are being stored at 'Naam Charcha Ghars.' If the court would give a verdict against Gurmeet Ram Rahim, then the devotees can use petrol and weapons to harm, destroy government and public property.

The Punjab and Haryana police have been put on high alert. The government has ordered the closure of schools and colleges in Panchkula district on August 24 and 25.

A cricket stadium in Chandigarh's Sector 16 will be converted into a temporary jail to keep Dera followers who would arrive for the verdict on August 25. Hisar, Fatehabad, Jind, Hansi, Kaithal and Kurukshetra have been identified as sensitive areas.

About 160 companies of central forces have also been called in, including the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB. Ninety-seven companies of CRPF's Rapid Action Force and a women's company have also been deployed.

Train tickets to Chandigarh being cancelled:

According to reports, the railways has confirmed that many travellers who had confirmed tickets to travel to Chandigarh have cancelled at the last moment in the wake of security arrangements, especially in Chandigarh and Panchkula. People are also refraining from travelling to Chandigarh in anticipation of violence.

OneIndia News