Police lob tear gas to rein in violent Dera Sacha Sauda followers

Followers of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh on Friday pelted stones and broke barricades soon after his conviction in the rape case following which police lobbed tear gas shells and fired in the air.

Immediately after the verdict, many Dera followers including a large number of women started crying.

Some followers went berserk and also allegedly damaged OB vans of a private TV channel.

Police lobbed tear gas shells, used water canons and batons in an attempt to bring the situation under control.

The Dera followers pelted stones and broke security cordon.

CBI judge Jagdeep Singh, while holding the 50-year-old Dera chief guilty of rape, said the quantum of sentence will be pronounced on August 28, CBI counsel HPS Verma told reporters outside the court.

The punishment can be a jail term not less than seven years but may even extend to life imprisonment.

Army personnel and central paramilitary forces took positions around the CBI court complex in Panchkula, Haryana even as the area close to the complex was sealed.