The Haryana police yesterday stormed into the Satlok ashram of self-styled godman Rampal in Barwala, Hisar in India, reports the Indian media.
Meanwhile, mounting pressure on godman Rampal to surrender, police has slapped sedition and other serious charges against him and several of his followers while ruling out any negotiations with him, a day after armed clashes took place.
Haryana Director General of police SN Vashisht yesterday asserted that police will continue its “operation” till he is arrested for production before Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday in a contempt case, reports The Times of India.
He said the ashram authorities have handed over bodies of four women and two sick persons, including an infant, who also died in a hospital later. The cause of their death will be investigated.
“There is no possibility of negotiations... There is not even any plan.. He is accused of serious crimes. My suggestion to him is that he should surrender before the law,” Vashisht said while addressing a press conference in Chandigarh.
Police registered fresh cases on Tuesday night against Rampal, ashram spokesman Raj Kapoor, another key functionary Purshottam Dass and several other followers under various sections of the IPC.
The fresh cases were filed after clashes broke out at the ashram between police and Rampal’s supporters, who allegedly resorted to firing and threw petrol bombs.
Rampal is already an accused in a murder case. Earlier this week, Punjab and Haryana high court gave the government time till Friday to produce Rampal in contempt of court case, after which authorities have been asking the devotees in and around the Satlok Ashram to disperse and help them comply with court order.
The DGP said 10,000 followers have come out of the ashram, while nearly 5,000 are still believed to be inside.
The Director General of Police SN Vashisht told the Hindu about 5,000 of Rampal’s his followers still remained in the ashram and the operation to bring the fugitive godman to book would continue till he is arrested and produced before the High Court, which had issued non bailable warrants against him.
Police have detained 270 people in connection with the violence and Rampal and his followers have been booked for sedition and on other charges.
Mr Vashisht said it was around 10 last night that the first batch of followers of the godman began coming out of the Ashram. About 2,000 men came out in the first round and expressed their desire to go home. They were taken to railway stations and bus stands in Hisar and Jind by Haryana Police and Haryana Roadways buses. Subsequently through the night about 8,000 more people, including women, children and elderly who were being captive in the ashram for over a week, came out.
Most of the followers were from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and had come to Barwala for a four-day satsang which had started on November 6. The DGP said he was in touch with Delhi Police and Uttar Pradesh officials to ensure that there was no regrouping of Rampal’s followers.
The police screened these people for the presence of some of Rampal’s followers engaged in yesterday’s violence and has so far detained about 270 people.
Stating that the Haryana police was committed to saving the lives of the innocent people, Mr Vashisht said he was hopeful that the remaining 5,000 people in the ashram would also come out by this evening. Those involved in the violence have been booked for sedition, criminal conspiracy, illegal detention and rioting among other charges.
Mr Vashisht said the operation was suspended last evening to enable women and children to come out and he was glad that the strategy worked as they did not want any casualties among this section. “The interviews of these people to the media in Hisar show that they were being kept in the ashram by Rampal’s men against their wishes.”
The DGP said the suspects would have to face the full force of law.
He said so far the security personnel had not entered the ashram and denied that there had been any delay or laxity on part of the police.
He said that this morning the ashram authorites handed over the bodie of four women to them, including that of a 70-year-old.
The women whose bodies had been handed over were identified as Savita, 31, of Delhi, Santosh, 45, of Rohtak, Raj Bala, 70, of Bijnore and Malikit Kaur, 50, of Sangrur in Punjab.
Besides, 20-year-old Rajni, who was in a serious with a heart ailment, was rushed to Hisar hospital from the Ashram at around 4am, but died there four hours later.
A one-and-a-half year old infant, whose father’s name is Vipin Pratap Singh, also died as he was suffering from congenital jaundice.
The infant belonged to Rewa district in Madhya Pradesh, he said.
DGP said that police will investigate all deaths to ascertain the cause.
“Postmortem examination of the bodies will be conducted to ascertain the exact cause behind their deaths,” he said.
DGP made it clear that there were no wounds on the bodies of the four women the police was also not certain under what circumstances they had passed away.
“Inquest proceedings are being conducted. When postmortem examination report comes, then we will know whether they died due to natural causes or due to any other reason...,” he said.
DGP Vashisht denied that there had been any intelligence or police failure which allowed Rampal to use thousands of followers as “human shield” and put the forces on the backfoot.
“There is no laxity or lapse or delay on our part. One has to keep in mind that here we are dealing with a situation where thousands of lives are at stake and we could not have carried out a sudden attack and put them in danger,” he said.
