This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/25/fears-unrest-indian-guru-convicted-rape-ram-rahim-singh-panchkula

The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Ram Rahim Singh: clashes outside court after Indian guru convicted of rape Ram Rahim Singh: several die in clashes after Indian guru's rape conviction
(about 2 hours later)
A court in the north Indian city of Panchkula has convicted a flamboyant Indian spiritual leader of raping two of his female followers, sparking clashes between police and tens of thousands of his followers. At least 13 people have died in riots and arson attacks that broke out across two states in northern India after a flamboyant Indian spiritual leader was convicted of raping two of his female followers.
The Indian army was deployed in the city shortly after the court pronounced Ram Rahim Singh guilty of sexual assault. The self-styled “godman” has been taken into custody and will reportedly be flown by helicopter to a jail in Haryana state before sentencing on Monday. The Indian army was deployed in the city of Panchkula on Friday shortly after the court found Ram Rahim Singh guilty of sexual assault. The self-styled “godman” and leader of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect has been taken into custody and will reportedly be flown by helicopter to a jail in Haryana state before sentencing on Monday.
Electricity supplies, mobile internet and cable television had been cut in parts of Haryana and Punjab state ahead of the verdict as up to 200,000 members of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect massed in Panchkula as a show of defiance and support. A police official told Reuters that 13 deaths had been confirmed in Panchkula.
Early reports following the guilty verdict said cars were being vandalised and that Singh’s supporters were clashing with police who were firing tear gas in response. There were also reports of attacks on journalists and media vans that were parked outside the court. Electricity supplies, mobile internet and cable television had been cut in parts of Haryana and Punjab states before the verdict as up to 200,000 members of the sect massed in Panchkula in a show of defiance and support.
Singh, one of the most powerful men in India, runs the 69-year-old from its ashram headquarters on a sprawling, 1,000-acre Haryana property that boasts its own hotel, cinema, cricket stadium and schools. Live television footage showed smoke billowing above a railway station and petrol pump in Punjab that was allegedly set alight by supporters of the guru.
Singh, who claims to have 60 million followers around the world, has been accused by India’s elite Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of sexually assaulting two female former members of the sect. A curfew was imposed in three of Punjab’s largest cities as hundreds of incidents of violence were reported, with journalists on the scene in Panchkula and Sirsa – where the sect is headquartered – appearing to be singled out by the rioters.
Journalists and crew from New Delhi Television, the Hindustan Times, India Today and News18 have reported injuries or damage to their vehicles.
Police have used teargas and water cannon to contain the rioting, with reports of reinforcements flooding into Panchkula, Sirsa and parts of Punjab. Delhi, the Indian capital, is also on high alert.
Singh, one of the most powerful men in India, runs the 69-year-old sect from its ashram headquarters on a sprawling, 1,000-acre Haryana property that includes a hotel, cinema, cricket stadium and schools.
Singh, who claims to have 60 million followers worldwide, has been accused by India’s elite Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of sexually assaulting two female former members of the sect.
The rape allegations, which Singh denies, first surfaced in an anonymous letter sent to the Indian prime minister in 2002. Scrutiny of the ashram grew when a journalist investigating Dera Sacha Sauda was shot dead the same year.The rape allegations, which Singh denies, first surfaced in an anonymous letter sent to the Indian prime minister in 2002. Scrutiny of the ashram grew when a journalist investigating Dera Sacha Sauda was shot dead the same year.
The CBI alleges Singh was involved in murdering the journalist after suspecting he was responsible for helping to circulate the anonymous letter, according to the Hindustan Times. He is facing a separate, ongoing trial in that case and denies the charges. The CBI alleges Singh was involved in murdering the journalist after suspecting he was responsible for helping to circulate the anonymous letter, according to the Hindustan Times. He faces a separate, ongoing trial in that case and denies the charges.
Gurus are enlightening influences in the lives of many Indians, guiding decisions both sacred and mundane, but few have the following of Singh nor his political clout. Gurus are enlightening influences in the lives of many Indians, guiding decisions both sacred and mundane, but few have the following of Singh or his political clout.
About 7,000 police officers were stationed in Panchkula ahead of the verdict, and mobile internet services were suspended. Hundreds of hospital beds have been reserved for possible casualties while, in the nearby city of Chandigarh, a cricket stadium has been prepared as a temporary jail, according to New Delhi Television. Hundreds of hospital beds have been reserved for possible casualties, while in the nearby city of Chandigarh, a cricket stadium has been prepared as a temporary jail, according to New Delhi Television.
In neighbouring Punjab, which shares its capital Chandigarh with Haryana, hundreds of train services have been cancelled while firearms and gatherings have been temporarily banned. In neighbouring Punjab – which shares its capital, Chandigarh, with Haryana – hundreds of train services have been cancelled, while firearms and gatherings have been temporarily banned.
The US embassy in Delhi has also put out a travel advisory urging its citizens in India to be wary of possible unrest in the wake of the verdict. The US embassy in Delhi has also released a travel advisory urging its citizens in India to be wary of possible unrest after the verdict.