‘Guru’ riots: Indian city in turmoil after spiritual leader’s conviction for rape sparks riots

HUNDREDS of troops are patrolling an Indian city hit by deadly clashes that killed at least 36 people after a guru was convicted of rape.

Supporters of Indian religious leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh throw stones at security forces as they are sprayed with a water cannon in Panchkula. Picture: AFP

HUNDREDS of troops have laid siege to the headquarters of a sect led by a controversial Indian guru whose conviction for rape triggered deadly clashes that have killed at least 36 people.

Soldiers and riot police cordoned off the routes leading to the sprawling premises of guru Ram Rahim Singh spread over 1000 acres in Sirsa, a town in northern Haryana state.

A police source told AFP some 20,000 followers of guru’s Dera Sacha Sauda sect were believed to be holed up inside the mini township that houses schools, a hospital, various sports facilities and a cinema hall.

“The area has been put under curfew. The situation is tense but under control,” he told AFP, requesting anonymity.

Indian paramilitary personnel walk towards the Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram in Sirsa after followers of controversial guru Ram Rahim Singh went on a rampage. Picture: AFP

Hundreds of troops have descended on Sirsa in India. Picture: AFP

TV footage showed heavily armed security forces taking position outside the gated headquarters.

Army major general Rajpal Punia however said there were no plans as yet to storm the headquarters and evacuate the premises.

“We are only focusing on maintaining law and order,” he told reporters. The Press Trust of India news agency said 15 followers of the spiritual sect had been arrested for rioting and arson that broke out Friday in the cities of Panchkula and Sirsa, minutes after Singh was found guilty of raping two of his followers.

A follower of Indian religious leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh pleads for his safety after being hit with a stick during clashes between the controversial guru's followers and security forces in Panchkula. Picture: AFP

A Dera Sacha Sauda sect supporter braves water cannon used by Indian security forces to disperse violent supporters near a court in Panchkula. Picture: AP

Police said at least 36 people were killed as tens of thousands of followers went on an angry rampage, attacking television vans and setting fire to dozens of vehicles.

“According to the latest update 30 people have died in Panchkula and six in Sirsa,” Haryana police chief B. S. Sandhu told AFP.

More than 200 people were injured including about 50 police and security personnel, he added.

A follower of Indian religious leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh pleads for her safety during clashes in Panchkula. Picture: AFP

Supporters of Indian religious leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh clash with security forces. Picture: AFP

‘UNJUST’ VERDICT

The 50-year-old Singh is known as the “guru in bling” for his penchant for bejewelled costumes and claims to have more than 50 million loyal followers worldwide.

The rape case was brought against him after an anonymous letter was sent to then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002 accusing him of repeatedly raping the sender and several other women in the sect.

People stand next to a burned out train coach that had been set alight by supporters of a controversial guru, who had earlier been convicted of rape, at Anand Vihar railway station in New Delhi. Picture: AFP

A judge asked the Central Bureau of Investigations to look into the accusations, but it took years to trace the alleged victims and it was not until 2007 that two women came forward and filed charges.

“I have been with dear Ram Rahim Singh for around 14 years. I can bet that all the allegations against our guru are false,” said Rajkumar, a shopkeeper from Haryana who was undergoing treatment at the hospital.

“He can’t do any wrong ... He works to rid the world of all its troubles,” he told AFP, his head heavily bandaged.

Supporters, back toward camera, try to calm other supporters of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect near an Indian court in Panchkula. Picture: AFP

Ajay Garg, a doctor in Panchkula, blamed the police for allowing the situation to spiral out of control.

“Our family was very scared. We went to the third floor of our house. They (mobs) were out of control and even damaged my car which was parked outside,” he told AFP.

Singh’s Dera Sacha Sauda sect, whose headquarters are located in nearby Sirsa town, said it would appeal the verdict.

“This is unjust. We will appeal against the judgement,” it said in a statement.

(This file photo taken on September 8, 2015 shows Indian chief of the religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Picture: AFP

CONTROVERSIAL CULT

The sprawling Sirsa premises include schools, sports facilities, a hospital and a cinema hall — thanks to Singh’s love for the silver screen.

In 2015 Singh started a film franchise portraying him as MSG or the ‘Messenger of God’, performing miracles, preaching to thousands and beating up gangsters while singing and dancing.

His last flick ‘MSG — The Warrior Lion Heart’ was released last year, with the guru playing a secret agent fighting aliens and UFOs.

Injured followers of religious leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh receive treatment at the civil hospital in Panchkula. Picture: AFP

Singh’s sentencing will be announced on Monday.

After a court declared him guilty of rape yesterday, mobs set fire to government buildings, vandalised bus stations and government vehicles and attacked police and TV journalists in Panchkula, 250 kilometres north of Sirsa. Police used tear gas and water cannons and fired bullets to control the mobs.