A number of people who came out of the Satlok Ashram in Barwala, Hisar, on Tuesday and Wednesday said they were locked up and detained by the “sewadars” or volunteers working for Sant Rampal.
Haryana DGP S.N. Vashisht said the police operation was suspended on Tuesday evening to enable women and children to come out. He was glad that the strategy worked, as they were keen on avoiding casualties. “The interviews these people gave to the media in Hisar show that they were being held in the ashram by Rampal’s men against their wishes.”
The DGP said the culprits, who precipitated the crisis, would have to face the full force of the law. Persons involved in the violence at the ashram have been booked for sedition, criminal conspiracy, illegal detention and rioting among other charges.
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Mr. Vashisht asserted that there was no firing by the police. On the deaths at the ashram, the DGP said a woman inmate, Rajni of Lalitpur, was sent to a medical college at Agroha with a heart valve problem at about 4 a.m. and later died there. Similarly, a one-and-a-half-year-old child, Dhairya, of Rewa district, with congenital jaundice, also died at the ashram. The two deaths appeared to be natural.
The DGP said the ashram inmates had not only used .315 bore guns and firearms, but also hurled acid bulbs and petrol bombs at the police. Besides, the nearly 200 gas cylinders found in the ashram posed a threat as firebombs were thrown at them to cause an explosion.
Breaking his silence on the stand-off, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the State government was committed to upholding the law and ensuring strict compliance with the directions of the High Court. “All are equal before the law and the government is working dispassionately...,” he said in a statement.
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A PTI report said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had urged Mr. Khattar to bring about an early end to the standoff, amidst indications of unhappiness at the Centre about the way the issue was handled by the State government.
In another development, the Haryana government said people in Barwala town and nearby villages tried to move towards the ashram in protest against Rampal and his activities. But the heavy deployment of force prevented a face-off. It said the Union Home Ministry has also provided two additional companies of CRPF to tackle the situation.