No proper record of dead bodies being sent from the hospital running inside the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters was maintained while a skin bank was running without license, a senior official said as the mammoth “sanitisation” exercise of the complex was completed on Sunday.
According to Haryana’s Public Relations Department Deputy Director, Satish Mehra, irregularities in the implementation of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act by the Dera were also detected.
The sanitisation exercise, which involved various government agencies, ended today and will bring to the locals as the mobile internet as well as train services, which had been suspended, will resume from tomorrow, he said.
However, curfew will remain in force near Dera Sacha Sauda complex, he said adding that relaxation will be given to the residents to buy daily necessities.
Security agencies and government departments had launched a coordinated effort as part of this exercise which was overseen by a court commissioner. The sanitisation exercise was conducted two weeks after Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted and jailed by a special CBI court for raping two disciples.
There was large scale violence following the sect head’s conviction which left 35 people dead in Panchkula alone. Violence broke out in Sirsa, where six died, and many parts of Punjab as well.
“The search operation process in the Dera was launched on September 8 and was overseen by Court Commissioner AKS Pawar. The search operation continued till today and the process is complete now,” Mehra told reporters this evening.
He said the process remained smooth and peaceful.
Giving details, Mehra said that a health department team searched a hospital running inside the Dera and sealed a skin bank which was allegedly “running without licence”.
“Also, it was found that no record of the dead bodies being sent out of the hospital had been maintained,” Mehra said.
He also said that a health department team detected irregularities in the implementation of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act by the Dera.
Besides, an illegal wood cutting machine was sealed and some ‘lathis’ were also found, he said.
The sanitisation process led to unearthing of two secret tunnels, including one that connected the Dera Sacha Sauda chief’s residence with the hostel for female disciples, and an illegal firecracker factory.