Haryana police arrest ‘Godman’ Rampal, six persons die in face-off in Haryana

Chandigarh/New Delhi: The Haryana police finally arrested self-styled “godman” Rampal on Wednesday night after laying siege to his Satlok Ashram in Haryana’s Hisar district for several days.

The police had fought bloody clashes with armed supporters of the controversial 63-year-old spiritual leader during the siege. The bodies of four women were found on the ashram premises while one woman and a child who were ill were taken to hospital where they died. The police said the deaths had not occurred in police action.

Rampal, who had holed up in the ashram at Barwala, Hisar, was arrested in the final assault by the police, with assistance from Central paramilitary force personnel, after close to 15,000 of his followers had been evacuated.

Haryana’s Manohar Lal Khattar government slapped fresh cases, including the serious charge of sedition, against him earlier on Wednes-day. Panipat SP Satish Balan said Rampal would be produced in a Hisar court on Thursday and then be taken to Chandigarh to be produced before the Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday, the deadline set by the high court.

Rampal’s brother Purshottam Das was taken into custody by the police while trying to flee the ashram. The bodies of the four deceased women, including a 70-year-old, were handed over to the police by the staff of the self-styled “godman”. Two other sick persons, including an infant, were taken to hospital where they died, the police said.