Rape convict godman’s bhakts go on rampage; over 30 killed, 300 injured

Agencies
August 25, 2017

Panchkula, Aug 25: At least 31 Dera Sacha Sauda followers were killed and more than 300 injured in an hour of violence after cops and paramilitary forces fired on angry mobs, shortly after the verdict convicting Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape at 2.30pm on Friday. While 28 were killed in Panchkula, three Dera supporters were killed in Sirsa, the headquarters of the cult.

Fifteen years after he was accused of raping his sadhvis, Gurmeet was held guilty of the crime by special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh. The quantum of sentence would be pronounced on Monday after hearing the CBI and Dera's counsel. Gurmeet faces a minimum of seven years in jail, the maximum punishment being life term.

Doctors at government hospitals in Panchkula and Chandigarh said the death toll could rise as many of the injured are in serious condition. Sources said the government gave orders to fire at the rioters after Panchkula deputy commissioner Gauri Prashar found herself surrounded by an angry mob in Sector 5. Most of those killed were in the adjoining Sectors 3 and 4, where most of the violence took place.

The moment the verdict came, the followers unleashed a well-planned attack. This was the third major instance of the Manohar Lal Khattar government's failure in controlling law and order in Haryana since 2016.

At least six were killed when police entered preacher Rampal's ashram in Hisar to arrest him and produce him in the HC in a contempt case in 2014, a month after the Khattar government took charge.

Shockingly, while 30 were killed in three days during the Jat protests in Haryana in February 2016, in Panchkula, nearly as many were killed in an hour on Friday.

Curfew was imposed in Patiala, Sangrur, Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot, Fazilka and Ferozepur districts in Malwa where dera followers went on the rampage. The followers targeted government service centres in Bathinda. A railway station nearby was torched.

Dera followers also threw petrol bombs at the grid sub-station, causing some damage.

But Panchkula bore the brunt. Nearly 1.5 lakh followers had gathered there in three days in an attempt to build pressure on the government and judiciary not to convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Despite the HC telling the government to ensure that there should be no violence, both cops and paramilitary forces seemed unprepared.

Witnesses said some protesters even had countrymade pistols. Although cops said they had disarmed many followers before they reached Panchkula, sources told TOI the initial bunch of followers that reached the city had a large quantity of petrol, diesel and kerosene with them.

The rioters set government offices and business establishments on fire.

After his conviction, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was first taken to a guesthouse meant for senior officers at Sunaria, near Rohtak. The Sunaria jail is within its compound. Jail SP (Rohtak) Sunil Sangwan confirmed that the guesthouse was designated as a jail.

However, in the evening, the government ordered that the dera chief should be shifted to jail.

Comments

ABUMOHAMMED
 - 
Saturday, 26 Aug 2017

What a shame rss leading Bjp government, can't control this internal kinds of rubbish people then how can secure your (Bjp) outside attacks. May tomorrow pakistan or china attack our country how can we defend. And alerady know the decision on this rubbish goons against him, he has a accused military & police force arranged. But what is the use? infornt of police & military, looting, burning, then were these security  wearing bangles in their hand ? and also his supporters giving statement which is anti national. where is now deshbakths ? If any muslim did this what would have happened we can't image. These all are cheating, looting people of Rss.

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News Network
June 29,2020

New Delhi, Jun 29: A disturbing video of a Covid-19 patient, speaking his last words, after his oxygen supply was allegedly cut off, has surfaced on social media. The patient reportedly died after indicating that the oxygen supply to him was cut off despite his requests.

The video has a 35-year-old Covid-19 patient bidding good-bye to his family, from a government hospital bed in Hyderabad. The patient Ravi Kumar can be seen speaking out against the negligence of of the medical staff in providing ventilator support to him when he needed it the most.

The video has led to social media outrage as it attracted public attention towards plight of patients in government hospitals

"I am not able to breathe, I pleaded but they did not continue oxygen for the last three hours. I am not able to breathe anymore daddy, it's like my heart has stopped, Bye daddy. Bye to all, daddy," these were apparently the final words of the man, who spoke in his local dialect, and shared on social media.

Several reports have claimed that the man had been admitted to government Chest hospital, after several private hospitals refused to admit him. His ventilator support was allegedly taken off in the hospital, after which he recorded the video message.

The victim’s family shared the video message for the public to know of the negligence.

Reports have it that Ravi’s covid-19 report, which testes positive, was given to family a day after his death, when 30 of his family members performed the final rites, thus making all of them vulnerable to the virus. Ravi’s father has alleged that the test was done on June 24 and Ravi died on June 26, while the report was given to them on June 27.

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Agencies
February 7,2020

Washington DC, Feb 7: United States on Thursday asked all countries to speak out against mistreatment of Muslims living in China especially in Xinjiang region by Chinese authorities.

Alice G. Wells, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, while talking to reporters appreciated the steps taken by Central Asian states to ensure that no ethnic Kazakh, Uighur, Kyrgyz is refouled to China and that the human rights of individuals who reach Central Asia are observed.

"As a matter of principle we urge all countries, not just Central Asian countries, to speak out against human rights abuses that are evident against Muslims in all of China but certainly in Xinjiang. And the countries of Central Asia, several of the countries of Central Asia have deep first-hand knowledge of those abuses given the direct impact it has on their own populations who have loved ones, family members, that are swept up in these detention centers," Wells said.

"We appreciate steps by Central Asian states to ensure that no ethnic Kazakh, Uighur, Kyrgyz is refouled to China, that the human rights of individuals who reach Central Asia are observed. And we also appreciate I think what countries like Kazakhstan can do to promote the free and safe travel of compatriots, ethnic compatriots across the border," she added.

China has been accused of oppressing the Uighurs by sending them to mass detention camps, interfering in their religious activities and sending the community to undergo some form of forceful re-education or indoctrination. However, Pakistan has stayed mum over this issue.

As many as 1 million people, or about 7 per cent of Xinjiang's Muslim population, have been incarcerated in a sprawling network of "political re-education" camps, according to US and UN studies.

In 2018, the New York-based Human Rights Watch released a report accusing Beijing of a "systematic campaign of human rights violations" against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Beijing says its camps in Xinjiang are "vocational training centres."

Last year, several documents leaked revealed details about Beijing's fears about religious extremism and its wholesale crackdown on Uighurs.

The US had called on the Chinese government to "immediately release all of those who are arbitrarily detained and to end its draconian policies that have terrorised its own citizens in Xinjiang."

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News Network
July 14,2020

Kasaragod, Jul 14: Kerala State Excise department officials confiscated hawala money to the tune of Rs 2.85 crore from a person hailing from Mangaluru.

According to sources, the officials of the Kumbala Range Excise had noticed the huge baggage containing hundreds of bundles of unaccounted currencies when they intercepted a vehicle at the border check-post at Thoominad in Manjeshwar early on Tuesday morning.

The accused Shamsudheen, who was trying to transport the illegal money into Kerala has been arrested and handed over to the Manjeshwar police authorities for further action, sources added.

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