Ram Rahim case: Curfew lifted in Sirsa except areas near Dera HQ

A special CBI court on Monday sentenced Ram Rahim to 20 years in prison after his conviction in two rape cases.

Sirsa (Har), Aug 29: District authorities have lifted curfew from Sirsa town except for areas near the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters.

Earlier, curfew was lifted in Sirsa for 12 hours from 7 am on Tuesday. The curfew was imposed following violence after the Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted in a rape case by a Special CBI court on Friday.

"The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Sirsa, Prabhjot Singh has lifted curfew from Sirsa city with immediate effect. But curfew will remain in effect in areas including Satnam Singh Chowk upto Nejiakhera T Point, Kanganpur Road and Nejiakhera T Point upto Bajekan railway crossing," said a statement from the Sirsa district administration.

The decision was taken after no violence was reported in the area, officials said. Sirsa town is home to the sprawling Dera headquarters where the sect's followers had gathered in large numbers ahead of Ram Rahim's conviction. Inspector General (Hisar range) A S Dhillon yesterday said there has been no report of violence by Dera followers in the district.

A special CBI court on Monday sentenced Ram Rahim to 20 years in prison after his conviction in two rape cases. CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh pronounced two sentences of 10 years rigorous imprisonment in each of the two cases that date back to 2002, said defence lawyer S K Garg Narwana.

He said both sentences will run consecutively for a total of 20 years in jail for the flamboyant guru who has millions of followers and counts politicians as well as celebrities as his friends. The conviction of the Dera head triggered arson and violence across Haryana that claimed 36 lives and injured over 250 people. In Sirsa, four people died and 58 were injured.

PTI