Dera sect head appeals followers to leave Panchkula

Dera Sacha Sauda sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim tonight made an appeal to his followers, who have flocked in Panchkula, to go back to their homes, a development which may come as a big relief to security personnel who have been asking them to move out of the town.
The sect head released a video and asked his followers to abide by law.
"I had earlier appealed to maintain peace and calm and asked (followers) not to go to Panchkula. All those (followers) who are in Panchkula should return to their home.
"I have to go to the court for hearing the verdict and I will go to Panchkula. We should all abide by law and maintain peace and calm," Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh said in his video appeal.

It has become a challenge for the security personnel to remove Dera followers who have come to Panchkula to have a glimpse of their 'Pita ji'.
An estimated 1.5 lakh Dera followers including men, women and children have gathered in Panchkula, where a CBI court is set to deliver its verdict in a rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh tomorrow.

After a rap earlier in the day from the Punjab and Haryana High Court as to how thousands of Dera followers had been allowed to gather at Panchkula ahead of the court verdict, Haryana DGP Sandhu tonight told reporters that the 'premis', as Dera followers are known, would be moved out of the town.

Earlier in the day, Punjab and Haryana High court asked the Dera chief's counsel to ask the sect head to make an appeal to his followers so they return to their homes.
The high court also slammed the Haryana government for allowing Dera followers to enter Panchkula in large numbers despite prohibitory orders being clamped.