The Army, Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the police entered the headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda near Sirsa town in Haryana, a day after sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted of rape, sparking large-scale violence by his followers.
The Army along with the police and paramilitary forces has put up barricades at entry points of the Dera Sacha Sauda HQ. However, they've not received the go-ahead to vacate the premises.
"There is still no order for the Army to enter the campus. They are only ensuring enforcement of curfew in the area," said Sirsa sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Paramjit Singh Chahal.
Over one lakh followers are reportedly still camped at the headquarters to protest against Friday's verdict in spite of repeated exhortations by security forces and district officials.
"The Army has been asking the followers to vacate the Dera premise voluntarily. Over 2,000 followers have left but still nearly one lakh people are stationed there," a senior police official said earlier in the day.
Police also sealed nine congregation centres of the Dera Sacha Sauda in Kurukshetra district, evicting the followers, and seized over 2,500 lathis and other sharp-edged weapons during a search operation there.
After evicting Dera followers, a large number of security personnel have been deployed outside the Dera Sacha Sauda's congregation centres to prevent any untoward incident. Authorities have also ordered security forces to crack down on the sect campuses elsewhere in Haryana,.
"We have asked security personnel to conduct searches at all Dera centres thoroughly and seize any weapons found," state additional chief secretary (Home) Ram Niwas said.
The move came after tens of thousands of supporters of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh went on the rampage in Haryana and Punjab on Friday, attacking and setting on fire public property to vent their anger against the court verdict.
