BJP MlA from Guhla assembly constituency, Kulwant Ram Bazigar on Tuesday demanded compensation for the families of those dera supporters who died on August 25 in the violence in the aftermath of court’s verdict against self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in Haryana.
The ruling legislator also demanded withdrawal of sedition cases against the dera chief and his supporters. Sedition charges have been framed against people who used to perform services related to public welfare, said Kulwant while speaking in the Haryana Assembly.
Independent MlA Jai Prakash seconded the demand and said that sedition charges against Baba Rampal, dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim and others should be withdrawn by the government.
Requesting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma to withdraw such charges, Jai Prakash said that it is wrong to frame sedition charges against them. An Indian cannot be treated as a traitor, he added.
Notably, Haryana senior Minister Anil Vij had last month demanded compensation and job to the kin of those dera supporters who were killed on August 25 in the police firing.
Citing the incident of Jat agitation 2016 during which 31 people had died in police firing and government had announced to pay Rs 10 lakh and a government job to the kin of those killed in the violent quota protest, Anil Vij had demanded that compensation and a government job should be given to the dera followers who died in a similar incident of arson and violence on August 25.
On this demand, the Chief Minister Manohar lal had earlier said that the matter related to dera violence incident is sub judice and the government will act as per Court’s orders.
The BJP led State Government had attracted sharp criticism from all quarters for mishandling the situation on August 25, which led to the large-scale violence in Panchkula within few hours in the aftermath of CBI court’s verdict against Ram Rahim. While atleast 35 people were killed in Panchkula, six others had died in Sirsa.
The deaths took place in firing by security forces on the dera sect followers, who ran amok setting on fire government and private property as well as vehicles in Panchkula and Sirsa.
More than 260 people were also wounded and property worth crores of rupees was damaged in the violence that broke out in Panchkula, where lakhs of dera followers had gathered ahead of CBI court’s verdict.
After the incident, the State Government had announced to provide full compensation to those persons whose property, including vehicles, was damaged during vandalism and arson after delivery of verdict against Dera Sacha Sauda chief.
A day before, the opposition parties, Congress and Indian National lok Dal had on Monday demanded that the names of Dera Sacha Sauda sect followers who died in the police firing on August 25, should be included in the obituary resolutions.
Responding to the demand, Speaker Kanwar Pal Gujjar had assured that the names of such people would be included in the obituary resolutions. The House had then paid tributes to those who had lost their lives during violence in Panchkula and Sirsa.