Panchkula violence: Army out, but not to enter Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters
Sources said the Army has been provided with the map of the sprawling dera campus.
Chandigarh: Army has no immediate plan of entering Dera Sacha Sauda sect headquarters here and it is focusing on maintaining law and order in the wake of violence triggered by the rape conviction of sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim, a top officer said on Saturday.
The Army along with the police and paramilitary forces has put up barricades at entry points of the Dera premises, where tens of thousands of Dera followers, including women and children, stayed put despite an appeal by authorities to leave. “There is no plan so far to enter the Dera headquarters here. We are focusing on maintenance of law and order presently,” General Officer Commanding(GOC), 33 Armoured Division, Rajpal Punia said in a media briefing.
Army appeals for peace
On Friday night, the Army carried out a flag march in the area. Normal life has come to a standstill due to restrictions imposed by the authorities to prevent any untoward incident. The Army and district authorities have been appealing through loudspeakers, asking those inside the Dera premises to leave.
Sources said the Army has been provided with the map of the sprawling dera campus