Though peaceful, an uneasy calm prevailed in Punjab on Friday as the self-styled godman, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was awarded a total of 20 year rigorous imprisonment by the Special CBI Judge in the afternoon.
As a precautionary measure, the Government re-imposed curfews in about 10 districts, and decided to continue with the night curfews in five districts of Mansa, Bathinda, Faridkot, Barnala and Samna, along with Patran sub-division of Patiala district. Besides, the Government decided to deploy Army in two districts of Mansa and Malout town of Sri Muktsar Sahib as a preventive measure.
“The State Government will review the situation again on Tuesday before taking any decision on lifting the curfew imposed in some areas as a precautionary measure…Of the 10 districts, in which curfew was enforced, it has been totally lifted in five. Night curfew continues for the time being in the five districts,” said the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh after his meeting with Governor VP Singh Badnore.
Capt Amarinder met the Governor to apprise him about the prevailing law and order situation in the State and the steps taken by Punjab Government to prevent any breakdown of law and order in the State in the wake of the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim.
Earlier, Capt Amarinder chaired a high-level meeting with the top administrative and police officials to take stock of the current situation in the State in the wake of pronouncement of sentence to Dera head.
The Chief Minister also announced that the mobile data services in Punjab would be resumed from Tuesday morning. “The decision on opening schools and colleges in the sensitive districts of the State had been left to the respect Deputy Commissioners,” said the Chief Minister.
CAPT APPRISES GUV ON lAW AND ORDER
Capt Amarinder, in his meeting with the Governor, submitted a detailed report of the prevailing situation in the State maintaining that there was no report of any violence after Friday’s sporadic incidents.
Chief Minister told the Governor that the State continued to be peaceful but the State Government was still maintaining constant vigil and surveillance to ensure that no one is allowed to disturb the law and order. He informed that of 32 people killed in the police firing at Panchkula on August 25, 12 were reported to be from Punjab. The bodies of the identified deceased persons had safely reached their respective villages with no backlash or reaction whatsoever, he said.
Capt Amarinder, in his report, said there had been no firing, lathi-charge or any major incident of arson and looting in the State. “However, 52 minor incidents of arson and looting were reported from different parts of the State, but most of the miscreants who attempted these incidents had been arrested. There had been 60 preventive arrests in the State so far,” he said.
Detailing on the steps taken by Punjab Government to control the situation and prevent a law and order breakdown, the Chief Minister said that they had placed 10 cities under curfew on the afternoon of August 25 in southern Punjab, which has a large number of Dera premis, as a matter of abundant precaution.
The curfew has been lifted in almost all cities, though constant surveillance and monitoring of the situation continues, he said. “The Army was called out on August 25 night and they assisted the Civil Administration in enforcing the curfew effectively. I personally visited some of the sensitive areas, including Zirakpur, Banur, Mohali, Kharar, Mansa, Maur, Bathinda, Balluana and Malout, and met not only the general public but also men and officers of Punjab Police and central armed forces deployed at these places. Both the Punjab Police and the paramilitary forces had done a commendable job in maintaining peace in the State,” he added.
Giving further details, Capt Amarinder said that “subsequent to dispersal of crowd from Panchkula, Haryana, on August 25 afternoon, Mohali District Administration ensured safe arrival of Dera people from Punjab to reach their homes without creating any problem on the roads”.
“We carried out major exercise in transporting people back to their villages in over 600 trucks and buses with Police escorts,” he told the Governor, adding that while this exercise finished at 4 am on August 26, a similar exercise was carried out for all those who arrived from Sirsa at the Haryana-Punjab border in Bathinda on August 28.
CAPT APPEAlS FOR PEACE
Chief Minister has once again appealed to the people to accept the court verdict sentencing Ram Rahim to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, while assuring that his Government would continue to maintain a constant vigil to ensure that peace is maintained in the State, with curfew to remain in force till needed.
NEVER DUBBED HARYANA GOVT A FAIlURE: CAPT
Capt Amarinder, who has all along been blaming the BJP-led Haryana Government for large scale violence in Panchkula on Friday, said that he had never dubbed Haryana Government a failure. “I had only said that allowing so many people to gather in one place was a mistake. Adequate precautions should have been taken to prevent such congregation of thousands of men, women and children ahead of the judgement on Friday,” he said.