Situation under control after Dera Chief's sentencing: Haryana Police

The Haryana Police on Monday assured the situation is under control in the state following the sentencing of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The state police further said that they are working to identify the instigators of the violence to ensure permanent peace.

"No incidents of violence were reported today. As of now, there is peace in the state and we hope the situation remains the same. We had three objectives from the day of verdict. Firstly, to ensure that the violent mob do not enter the city as it would become difficult for us to control them. Therefore we planned our strategy and deployed the forces accordingly. Secondly, we planned to contain the mob in specific area and not let them move from there. Our third objective was to maintain maximum restraint. We achieved all the three objectives," V Uma Shankar, Special Commissioner, Haryana said in a press briefing.

Expressing grief over the deaths in the violence, he said, "We are sorry for deaths. Instigators of this violence will be identified and actions will be taken against them."

Meanwhile, AS Dhillon. Inspector General, Haryana said, "There are still more than 1000 people inside the Dera, but numbers have come down significantly. I would not like to share the exact figures."

Earlier in the day, a CBI court awarded 20-year jail term to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief in a rape case.

The quantum of punishment was pronounced in Rohtak's Sunaria district jail.

A three-tier security ring was put in place around the jail where CBI special judge Jagdeep Singh pronounced the sentence.

The security at Rohtak was strengthened to prevent any untoward situation. 23 companies of paramilitary force were also deployed along with state police.

The Dera Chief was convicted by a CBI court in Panchkula on Friday following which violence had erupted in Haryana and neighboring states. 38 people were killed and around 250 injured in the violence.