Six acquitted in case of rioting after Dera chief's conviction

A local court has acquitted six followers of Dera Sacha Sauda in a case related to rioting that followed the conviction of the sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case on August 25 last.

District and Session Judge Ritu Tagore yesterday ordered the acquittal of the six accused who were arrested by Haryana police on a complaint filed by a Mohali-based photo-journalist.

"No charges can be proved against the six persons in the court. Moreover, the complainant also could not identify them," defence counsel R S Chauhan said today.

The Dera followers who were acquitted were identified as Hoshiar Singh, Gyani Ram, Sangra Singh, Rav Kumar, Ram Kishan and Tarsem, the advocate said, adding that they belonged to different places in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

They were booked under IPC sections 148 (rioting), 149(unlawful assembly guilty of offence) and 379 A (snatching).

The complainant had claimed that his camera and some other equipments were snatched by the rioters in Panchkula last year.

Violence had erupted in Panchkula following the conviction of Sirsa headquartered sect chief by a special CBI court, leaving several persons dead and scores of others injured.