The Manohar lal Khattar Government’s “strategy” to ensure that Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, produce himself before the CBI court on August 25, led to the death of 39 people in violence in Panchkula and Sirsa.

Amid mounting criticism from various quarters and demand of his resignation in the wake of violence that erupted on August 25 in Haryana after verdict against the self-styled godman, an unfazed Khattar on Wednesday justified his government’s action and made claims to “work under a strategy” to achieve their aim to produce Ram Rahim before the CBI court.

Backing the claims of his government’s bureaucrats, the Chief Minister on Wednesday asserted that the government achieved its target to produce him before the court and all this was done under a strategy.

After a complete breakdown of law and order situation was witnessed in Panchkula last Friday, the top brass of Haryana Government had been claiming that it was government’s strategy not to take a stern action against dera sect followers that were gathering at Panchkula as its  priority was to ensure that the dera chief present himself before the CBI court on August 25.

Citing the incident of another self-styled godman Rampal, senior officials in the Chief Minister’s office had claimed that the government did not want to face similar situation in Ram Rahim’s case because it would have led to more causalities.

A day before, state advocate general (AG) BR Mahajan had also claimed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the government did not remove the Dera Sacha Sauda followers from Panchkula ahead of the verdict as they wanted to ensure his presence before the CBI court.

Interestingly, while the State Government is busy trotting out excuses that allowing dera followers to gather at Panchkula and not taking any action against them before the CBI court’s verdict was their strategy, the comments contradicts its decision of suspend the DCP Panchkula, Ashok Kumar.

A day after violence at Panchkula, the entire blame for violence was put on Ashok Kumar, who was suspended for his failure in implementing the prohibitory orders in the city. Ashok Kumar, was apparently made a scapegoat, as the government, under pressure, acted to hide its governance failures.

Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Ram Niwas while vociferously defending the government’s failure had said that DCP Panchkula had been suspended as he failed to impose section 144 of CrPC correctly and let the dera sect followers gather at Panchkula.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister on Wednesday termed his government’s work as “satisfactory” even as it was achieved at the cost of 39 lives lost since Friday. Not only this, the incident of arson and  violence left more than 260 injured and destroyed property worth crores of rupees.

Commenting on government’s claims of working under a planned strategy, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday said that all such claims are being made by them to hide their failures.

The State Government did not learn any lessons from last year’s Jat agitation and let Haryana burn again… The government had no strategy but acted as a silent spectator as dera followers went on a rampage on Friday, said Hooda.

Notably, the violence which broke out at Panchkula on August 25 was the third major incident where the State Government failed to act promptly on intelligence inputs. The debutant BJP Government in Haryana had in the past also failed to prevent and control violence during 2016 Jat quota agitation and 2014 incident when there was a two-week tense standoff between some of the self-styled 'godman' Rampal's followers and the state police.

The Chief Minister has on Wednesday submitted the report sought by the BJP central leadership on government’s response in dealing with dera sect chief episode.

Even as the opposition is gunning for Chief Minister’s resignation over mishandling of the emergency situation, the BJP led Central Government had last week gave him a clean chit and decided to stand by him.