How Haryana Police failed to control Dera Sacha Sauda mob: Ground report from Panchkula

By Chhavi Bhatia

There is an eerie silence that hangs over the beautiful, planned city of Panchkula.

The satellite town is still coming to terms with the worst mob violence that it witnessed in recent times.

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Panchkula was the epicentre of violent clashes that erupted after the conviction of controversial self-styled Godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh by a CBI court on Friday.

Ram Rahim's Dera Sacha Sauda may say that the conviction was an "injustice", but the ground reality is quite different.

What is more baffling is the fact that the Haryana Police underestimated the Dera followers, the DNA has learnt from sources.

The two hours after the verdict changed the face of the city.

According to the sources DNA spoke to, there were three groups that were responsible for the violence.

The three groups of Dera followers were camping in three different locations.

The first group was camping near Shimla-Zirakpur National Highway near Old Panchkula.

The second group was camping in Sector 3 near Tau Devi Lal Stadium. It is said that they didn't cause much of the damage.

The third group was based in the Green Belt in Sector 5 of Panchkula.

As soon as the verdict was announced, convicting Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 15-year-old rape case, in a seemingly coordinated manner, these three groups quickly took over the city and began what was one of the worst episodes of mob violence that India has seen in recent times.

What is shocking is that despite the 'intel inputs', and strict orders from the court, the police failed to contain the mob.

DNA has learnt from its sources that the Haryana Police had "assumed" that the devotees had gathered to catch a glimpse of their beloved Guru. The reason may be because for 72 hours, nearly 1.5 lakh "Premis", as the Dera followers are popularly knowns, remained completely peaceful without any report of even minor skirmishes from any part of the town.

The police, despite heavy bandobast, coudn't envisage the extent of the Dera followers' reaction.

Old Panchkula has been burnt down to some extent by the furious mob. Though the curfew is still on in the city, power supply has been restored in most sectors of Panchkula.

The DNA has also learnt that the majority of those who were killed in the violence were stone-pelters.

After the first tear gas was fired in Sector 2 near the Shimla-Zirakpur Highway, the city was engulfed in complete mayhem. The protesters used the legs of cots and tree branches as weapons.