9 Dera Sacha Sauda ashrams in Kurukshetra sealed, 2,500 lathis seized

Thousands of his followers went on the rampage, hurling stones and vandalising media vehicles on FRiday, taking this into serious consideration the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a strict penal

The Kurukshetra Police on Saturday sealed nine congregation centres of the Dera Sacha Sauda in the district, evicting the followers and seized over 2,500 lathis and other sharp-edged weapons during a search operation there.

"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 entire property of the organization led by its self-styled spiritual leader Ram Rahim -- should be attached for the damage they caused to public property, the court had said.

The special CBI court of Panchekula convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the sexual assault case. He will be sentenced on August 28.

Thousands of his followers went on the rampage, hurling stones and vandalising media vehicles on Friday after the conviction of their 'guru'. Taking this into serious consideration the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered a strict penalty for Dera Sacha Sauda.

Aftermath of the verdict, violence by the followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim went out of control, reaching Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, the court had said the "forces should not hesitate to use weapons, if required", while hearing a PIL on the situation in Panchkula. Also, the court had asked for video footage to review if the property was appropriately protected.

(With agency inputs)