A tunnel and a passageway connecting Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh&#39;s residence&nbsp;to the hostel of his female disciples were found by the security agencies during the second day of a massive search operation inside the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa, Haryana.

The passageway was discovered from the &quot;gufa&quot; where Gurmeet Ram Rahim used to stay till the &#39;Sadhvi Niwas&#39;, the hostel of his female disciples, a senior government official told the press.

He added that a &quot;fibre tunnel filled with mud&quot; has also been located during the search operation.

&quot;The derawas is connected to Sadhvi Niwas,&quot;&nbsp;deputy director (Public Relations) of the Haryana Government said.

Officials also sealed an illegal explosives factory which was found inside the sprawling 700-acre premises.

The search operation inside the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters continued through Saturday amid heavy security presence and ended in the evening.

&quot;Explosives and fire crackers have been seized from the headquarters,&quot; Satish Mehra said, adding that chemicals used for making explosives were also found.

During the on-going search, an empty box for cartridges of AK 47 was also recovered, the deputy director said.

Hordes of police, paramilitary and civil administration personnel were involved in the mammoth search operation which started yesterday on the direction of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

On Friday, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sansitisation-in-dera-sacha-hq-forensic-team-investigates-gufa-20019" target="_blank">a forensic team searched the &quot;</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sansitisation-in-dera-sacha-hq-forensic-team-investigates-gufa-20019" target="_blank">gufa</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sansitisation-in-dera-sacha-hq-forensic-team-investigates-gufa-20019" target="_blank">&quot;</a> where Ram Rahim Singh sexually assaulted the two women, reports said.

Mobile internet services have been shut down in Sirsa and curfew around the Dera headquarters continued for the second day of the search operation.

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Haryana: Heavy security at Satnam Chowk in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sirsa?src=hash">#Sirsa</a> as search of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DeraSachaSauda?src=hash">#DeraSachaSauda</a> HQ continues <a href="https://t.co/qGFLKDPRQl">pic.twitter.com/qGFLKDPRQl</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/906380488260034560">September 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The search inside the sprawling 700-acre Dera headquarters continued for the second day

A tunnel and a passageway connecting Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's residence to the hostel of his female disciples were found by the security agencies during the second day of a massive search operation inside the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa, Haryana. The passageway was discovered from the "gufa" where Gurmeet Ram Rahim used to stay till the 'Sadhvi Niwas', the hostel of his female disciples, a senior government official told the press. He added that a "fibre tunnel filled with mud" has also been located during the search operation. "The derawas is connected to Sadhvi Niwas," deputy director (Public Relations) of the Haryana Government said. Officials also sealed an illegal explosives factory which was found inside the sprawling 700-acre premises. The search operation inside the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters continued through Saturday amid heavy security presence and ended in the evening. "Explosives and fire crackers have been seized from the headquarters," Satish Mehra said, adding that chemicals used for making explosives were also found. During the on-going search, an empty box for cartridges of AK 47 was also recovered, the deputy director said. Hordes of police, paramilitary and civil administration personnel were involved in the mammoth search operation which started yesterday on the direction of Punjab and Haryana High Court. On Friday, a forensic team searched the "gufa" where Ram Rahim Singh sexually assaulted the two women, reports said. Mobile internet services have been shut down in Sirsa and curfew around the Dera headquarters continued for the second day of the search operation. Haryana: Heavy security at Satnam Chowk in #Sirsa as search of #DeraSachaSauda HQ continues pic.twitter.com/qGFLKDPRQl — ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2017 ×

Tunnel connecting Dera chief's residence to female disciples' hostel discovered

Security outside the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dera-sacha-sauda-chief-sentenced-to-20-years-in-jail-for-rape-19583">Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa&nbsp;has been </a>beefed up as the search operation inside the sprawling premises is underway.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-exclusive-inside-gurmeet-ram-rahims-strange-fantastical-home-19934">WATCH EXCLUSIVE: Inside Gurmeet Ram Rahim&#39;s strange &amp; fantastical home</a>

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Sirsa: Security deployed at Satnaam Chowk, main entrance to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DeraSachaSauda?src=hash">#DeraSachaSauda</a> HQ. Security forces will conduct search ops inside Dera today. <a href="https://t.co/qeLQ7jD8cR">pic.twitter.com/qeLQ7jD8cR</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905972004125196288">September 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Around 41 paramilitary companies, four Army columns, police from&nbsp;four districts, one SWAT team &amp; one dog squad have been deployed for the search operation at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa.

Authorities have imposed a curfew in the area surrounding the Dera headquarters.

The search was ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

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Sirsa: Security personnel &amp; concerned officials entered premises of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DeraSachaSauda?src=hash">#DeraSachaSauda</a> HQ to conduct search as ordered by Punjab &amp; Haryana HC <a href="https://t.co/YST6xgiBVs">pic.twitter.com/YST6xgiBVs</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/905978026105610241">September 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Punjab and Haryana High Court had rapped the Haryana government&nbsp;for the violence that took place after<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dera-sacha-sauda-chief-sentenced-to-20-years-in-jail-for-rape-19583" target="_blank"> Ram Rahim Singh was convicted by a special CBI court</a> which claimed 36 lives.

The Haryana government,&nbsp;in a major <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dera-violence-death-toll-rises-to-36-19543" target="_blank">crackdown&nbsp;on the Dera</a>, had sealed its 30 congregation centres across the state last month.

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The search was ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court

Security outside the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa has been beefed up as the search operation inside the sprawling premises is underway. WATCH EXCLUSIVE: Inside Gurmeet Ram Rahim's strange & fantastical home Sirsa: Security deployed at Satnaam Chowk, main entrance to #DeraSachaSauda HQ. Security forces will conduct search ops inside Dera today. pic.twitter.com/qeLQ7jD8cR — ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2017 × Around 41 paramilitary companies, four Army columns, police from four districts, one SWAT team & one dog squad have been deployed for the search operation at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. Authorities have imposed a curfew in the area surrounding the Dera headquarters. The search was ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Sirsa: Security personnel & concerned officials entered premises of #DeraSachaSauda HQ to conduct search as ordered by Punjab & Haryana HC pic.twitter.com/YST6xgiBVs — ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2017 × The Punjab and Haryana High Court had rapped the Haryana government for the violence that took place after Ram Rahim Singh was convicted by a special CBI court which claimed 36 lives. The Haryana government, in a major crackdown on the Dera, had sealed its 30 congregation centres across the state last month.

Heavy security outside Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa as search operation begins

The chief minister of India&#39;s northern state Haryana, Manohalal Khattar, today ruled out&nbsp;his resignation saying he was satisfied with his government&#39;s handling of the Dera Sacha Sauda violence.&nbsp;

Khattar&#39;s statement comes after he met BJP chief Amit Shah today when he submitted a report on the violence that erupted&nbsp;after the conviction of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

He said that his government had acted with &quot;restraint&quot; adding that their first priority was to get the Dera chief to appear before the court in Panchkula, Haryana.&nbsp;

&quot;We acted with restraint. We achieved our aim,&quot; he said.

Khattar also said that there will not be any change in the party leadership.

&quot;Anybody can say anything... We are satisfied with our work. Whatever we did was right. There will be no change.&quot;

Khattar had been accused by the opposition of mishandling the Dera protest which claimed at least <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/special-cbi-court-convicts-gurmeet-ram-rahim-singh-in-rape-case-19498">38 lives in the violence that broke out after the Special CBI Court pronounced him guilty for the rapes of two </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/special-cbi-court-convicts-gurmeet-ram-rahim-singh-in-rape-case-19498">sadhvis</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/special-cbi-court-convicts-gurmeet-ram-rahim-singh-in-rape-case-19498">&nbsp;(spiritual practitioners)</a> from his Dera.

After the violence, it was speculated that Khattar might be replaced.&nbsp;

Khattar justified the government&#39;s actions by saying that if something had happened before August 25 when Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh appeared before the Special CBI Court, he would have used it as an &quot;excuse&quot; for not turning up in court.&nbsp;

The chief minister also rejected claims of providing exceptional treatment to the Dera head saying that he was <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/post-conviction-ram-rahim-was-kept-at-this-lavish-so-called-jail-19679">temporarily put up&nbsp;in a guest house</a> till arrangements were being made in the jail

Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dera-sacha-sauda-chief-sentenced-to-20-years-in-jail-for-rape-19583">20 years in jail in the two rape cases</a>. A case of murder is also pending against him in the same court for allegedly ordering the killing of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati in 2002 after his <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/he-exposed-dera-sacha-saudas-truth-in-2002-was-shot-down-anshul-slain-journalists-son-19602">newspaper &#39;Poora Sach&#39;</a> published an anonymous letter detailing the nefarious activities going on inside the Dera including the sexual abuse of female followers.&nbsp;

Khattar's statement comes after he met BJP chief Amit Shah today. He submitted a report on the violence that erupted?after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief

The chief minister of India's northern state Haryana, Manohalal Khattar, today ruled out his resignation saying he was satisfied with his government's handling of the Dera Sacha Sauda violence. Khattar's statement comes after he met BJP chief Amit Shah today when he submitted a report on the violence that erupted after the conviction of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. He said that his government had acted with "restraint" adding that their first priority was to get the Dera chief to appear before the court in Panchkula, Haryana. "We acted with restraint. We achieved our aim," he said. Khattar also said that there will not be any change in the party leadership. "Anybody can say anything... We are satisfied with our work. Whatever we did was right. There will be no change." Khattar had been accused by the opposition of mishandling the Dera protest which claimed at least 38 lives in the violence that broke out after the Special CBI Court pronounced him guilty for the rapes of two sadhvis (spiritual practitioners) from his Dera. After the violence, it was speculated that Khattar might be replaced. Khattar justified the government's actions by saying that if something had happened before August 25 when Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh appeared before the Special CBI Court, he would have used it as an "excuse" for not turning up in court. The chief minister also rejected claims of providing exceptional treatment to the Dera head saying that he was temporarily put up in a guest house till arrangements were being made in the jail Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced to 20 years in jail in the two rape cases. A case of murder is also pending against him in the same court for allegedly ordering the killing of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati in 2002 after his newspaper 'Poora Sach' published an anonymous letter detailing the nefarious activities going on inside the Dera including the sexual abuse of female followers.

Haryana chief minister Khattar satisfied with handling of Dera Sacha Sauda protest, will not resign

The violence which rocked Haryana and adjoining areas cannot be limited to an administrative failure or inefficiency of the police forces. Rather, it is a reflection of an unequal society as well as unethical dalliance of political parties with sects and various sub-cultures throughout India. In the subcontinent, religion, popular culture, counterculture and politics have interacted at multiple levels with each other. But violence in Haryana shows lack of meaningful engagement between a sect and the state because of the state of electoral politics today.

&nbsp;

The political parties continue to treat sects like vote banks and turn blind eye to what goes behind the huge walls of the sects in exchange for the votes every five years. The lack of scrutiny allows a free hand to sect heads and enables them to turn the organisation into a land grabbing and wealth-creating enterprise. But the irony is that the followers are mostly people who are already marginal and peripheral to the imagination of the Indian state.

&nbsp;

To start with, the sects in India including Dera Sachha Sauda attract followers from lower castes who face structural violence on all levels. Whether it is an extraction of forced labour, coercive sex, denial of entry into sacred spaces or discrimination at the level of basic utilities like water and toilet, sects offer a counter culture. The premise of most of the sects is equality and dignity which for people perceive them as agents of change, egalitarian and married to new modern philosophies of equality and liberty.

&nbsp;

It is for this reason sects attract thousands of followers across India. These sects act like counter veiling narrative to the established religions. The sects also balance crude edges of the Indian state.

&nbsp;

The Indian state is not divorced from the mainstream biases of the society as it has repeatedly failed to protect and treat lower castes with equality. Whether it is the case of Mazhabi Sikhs or Dalit Muslims or Dalit Christians, Indian state at the level of benefit distribution has failed often. When basic utilities, such as water, food, employment and shelter become freely available married to a sense of purpose in life, the sects become extremely attractive and a world unto themselves.

&nbsp;

The problem further gets exemplified because of lack of literacy in the country. This is not to say that individuals in modern times don&rsquo;t have the right to create new &lsquo;oeuvres&rsquo; in the realm of spirituality and religion but what mainly gets produced is a cheap imitation of already existing dogmas.

&nbsp;

This lack of literacy prevents individuals from interacting with religious texts, making them completely depended on pravachans or oral communications.

&nbsp;

But in today&rsquo;s age, empowered with new communication technologies, the oral traditions have ended up creating fake truths and views of the world. For this reason, the court&rsquo;s judgment&nbsp; is not being seen as justice but as conspiracy of the state.

&nbsp;

It ends up mediating truth through individuals who at one end create a meaningful world but on the other merchandise and exploit the &lsquo;harvested&rsquo; souls. This discourse further gets vitiated in the Indian context as historically, community&rsquo;s sense of dignity and honour outweighs individual&rsquo;s right. It is because of this, cases like talaq ends up being about a community&rsquo;s autonomy and honour than a woman&rsquo;s right.

&nbsp;

The violence in Haryana is a warning that there needs to be a healthy relationship between various sects and the state at every level. The scrutiny should not terminate for the want of political and electoral support.

&nbsp;

The spiritual and religious order have the right to interact with political and electoral establishments as hard secularism is not a workable framework of community management in India. What is required is re imagination of Indian politics where sects aren&rsquo;t allowed to work as secret societies.

&nbsp;

It is for this reason every state intervention with sects whether it was Rampal, Ashutosh Maharaj or Ram Vriksha Yadav end up in violent episodes leaving scores dead.

&nbsp;

Both BJP and Congress have indulged in flirting with the sects for votes in exchange of scrutiny. This must end. Netas should stop going to sect heads for votes, instead the sects should be open to state&rsquo;s scrutiny without harassment. And lastly, to locate the issue, loyal party fellows don&rsquo;t make good administrator&rsquo;s. ML Khattar might have been a hardworking and honest pracharak but lacks administrative abilities which he has demonstrated thrice. Time Khattar goes and BJP come up with a person with good administrative skills.

Political parties need 'gurus' like Ram Rahim Singh to win elections and, therefore, turn a blind eye to what is happening within the closed doors of ashrams.

The violence which rocked Haryana and adjoining areas cannot be limited to an administrative failure or inefficiency of the police forces. Rather, it is a reflection of an unequal society as well as unethical dalliance of political parties with sects and various sub-cultures throughout India. In the subcontinent, religion, popular culture, counterculture and politics have interacted at multiple levels with each other. But violence in Haryana shows lack of meaningful engagement between a sect and the state because of the state of electoral politics today. The political parties continue to treat sects like vote banks and turn blind eye to what goes behind the huge walls of the sects in exchange for the votes every five years. The lack of scrutiny allows a free hand to sect heads and enables them to turn the organisation into a land grabbing and wealth-creating enterprise. But the irony is that the followers are mostly people who are already marginal and peripheral to the imagination of the Indian state. To start with, the sects in India including Dera Sachha Sauda attract followers from lower castes who face structural violence on all levels. Whether it is an extraction of forced labour, coercive sex, denial of entry into sacred spaces or discrimination at the level of basic utilities like water and toilet, sects offer a counter culture. The premise of most of the sects is equality and dignity which for people perceive them as agents of change, egalitarian and married to new modern philosophies of equality and liberty. It is for this reason sects attract thousands of followers across India. These sects act like counter veiling narrative to the established religions. The sects also balance crude edges of the Indian state. The Indian state is not divorced from the mainstream biases of the society as it has repeatedly failed to protect and treat lower castes with equality. Whether it is the case of Mazhabi Sikhs or Dalit Muslims or Dalit Christians, Indian state at the level of benefit distribution has failed often. When basic utilities, such as water, food, employment and shelter become freely available married to a sense of purpose in life, the sects become extremely attractive and a world unto themselves. The problem further gets exemplified because of lack of literacy in the country. This is not to say that individuals in modern times don’t have the right to create new ‘oeuvres’ in the realm of spirituality and religion but what mainly gets produced is a cheap imitation of already existing dogmas. This lack of literacy prevents individuals from interacting with religious texts, making them completely depended on pravachans or oral communications. But in today’s age, empowered with new communication technologies, the oral traditions have ended up creating fake truths and views of the world. For this reason, the court’s judgment is not being seen as justice but as conspiracy of the state. It ends up mediating truth through individuals who at one end create a meaningful world but on the other merchandise and exploit the ‘harvested’ souls. This discourse further gets vitiated in the Indian context as historically, community’s sense of dignity and honour outweighs individual’s right. It is because of this, cases like talaq ends up being about a community’s autonomy and honour than a woman’s right. The violence in Haryana is a warning that there needs to be a healthy relationship between various sects and the state at every level. The scrutiny should not terminate for the want of political and electoral support. The spiritual and religious order have the right to interact with political and electoral establishments as hard secularism is not a workable framework of community management in India. What is required is re imagination of Indian politics where sects aren’t allowed to work as secret societies. It is for this reason every state intervention with sects whether it was Rampal, Ashutosh Maharaj or Ram Vriksha Yadav end up in violent episodes leaving scores dead. Both BJP and Congress have indulged in flirting with the sects for votes in exchange of scrutiny. This must end. Netas should stop going to sect heads for votes, instead the sects should be open to state’s scrutiny without harassment. And lastly, to locate the issue, loyal party fellows don’t make good administrator’s. ML Khattar might have been a hardworking and honest pracharak but lacks administrative abilities which he has demonstrated thrice. Time Khattar goes and BJP come up with a person with good administrative skills.

Panchkula violence exposes the unholy nexus between 'gurus' and Indian politics

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Tunnel connecting Dera chief's residence to female disciples' hostel discovered

Heavy security outside Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa as search operation begins

Haryana chief minister Khattar satisfied with handling of Dera Sacha Sauda protest, will not resign

Panchkula violence exposes the unholy nexus between 'gurus' and Indian politics