8 Dera Sacha Sauda followers arrested for attacking petrol station

Faridkot, Sep 6: The Punjab Police today claimed to have arrested eight Dera followers for allegedly attacking a fuel pump in Kotkapura area on August 25 following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case.

The accused were identified as Narinder Kumar, Kuldeep Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Marpreet Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Randeep Singh, Pawan Kumar and Parwinder Singh, they said. The state police had already arrested five persons-- Sandeep Kumar, Kamaldeep Singh, Baljinder Singh, Gurtej Singh and Jasveer Singh-- in connection with violence in Haryana and neighbouring states following Gurmeet's conviction.

The police said the accused who had allegedly attempted to set the petrol pump on fire were identified from the CCTV footage. An FIR was registered in this regard following a complaint by Chamkaur Singh, owner of Sekhon filling station at Chahal village of Kotkapura, they added.

PTI