Tweeple hail Dera chief conviction but denounce violence in Punjab, Haryana

Dera Sacha Sauda Chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Friday convicted by a CBI court in a 14-year-old rape case and Twitter cannot stop hailing the decision. The quantum of sentence will, however, be announced on August 28.
 

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Border Security Force (BSF) and the state police were present inside the premises of the court, when Justice Jagdeep Singh read out the verdict. The case was registered by the CBI in 2002 against the self-styled godman after allegations of sexual exploitation of two women followers through anonymous letters.
 

On August 17, the Special CBI court concluded hearing in the case but reserved pronouncing the verdict for today. For the hearing, Singh was recused from appearing in person at Panchkula by the court. The Dera chief had cited medical reasons for not attending court in person.
 

MSG aka Messenger of God is also a sobriquet used for Ram Rahim Singh. He has also produced two drama films with his name and has played the protagonist in the movies.
 

Ram Rahim Singh was seen trending amidst the top three trending topics on Twitter since Thursday. The hashtag #RamRahimVerdict and #WeSupportMSG were seen all over the social media pages.
 

As soon as the news broke, Twitterati welcomed the decision. Others expressed their concern over the violence caused in Punjab and Haryana. People on Twitter also criticised the state government for ‘appeasing’ Rahim’s followers and allowing them to converge on the city.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the news: