Thousands prevented from leaving Satlok Ashram
Barwala (Hisar): Several persons, including security and media personnel, were injured as clashes erupted at the ashram of controversial ‘godman’ Rampal here on Tuesday with police lobbing teargas shells and using batons to disperse his supporters who allegedly fired back.
A number of people including women were injured in the violence at the Satlok Ashram in this town of Hisar district, as authorities attempted to storm the premises and arrest Rampal, against whom fresh Non-Bailable Warrants were issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court Monday.
However, it was not clear in the melee whether Rampal was holed-up inside the ashram or had moved out as was claimed by an ashram spokesman Monday.
Ashram spokesman Raj Kapoor had said that Rampal was “unwell” and was being treated at an “undisclosed location”. Media crews faced the brunt of the violence that left some of them injured while cameras of many private electronic news channels were broken.
Police said that many security personnel had also been injured in the violence as they were was firing and stone pelting from the ashram side, with some followers making last-ditch attempts to thwart the forces from storming the premises.
DGP S N Vashisht said police was in the midst of a tough operation. He stated that he was informed that media personnel were stopped from entering the operational areas.
The violence has erupted at a time when the Haryana government is racing against time to meet the Friday deadline set by the Punjab and Haryana High Court for producing Rampal in a contempt case.
Security personnel including police and para-military forces stepped up efforts to disperse the followers, said to be in thousands inside the Ashram.
A senior police official said supporters of the ‘godman’ were firing from inside the ashram but police was exercising “maximum possible restraint to minimise casualties.”
Police said that stones were being hurled at them from inside the ashram as several followers and Rampal’s ‘private army’ had pitched themselves on the rooftop of the ashram.
As the security personnel that included para-military forces in strength launched a massive operation to clear the ashram area, several followers also hurled ‘petrol bombs’ at the forces.
The followers, who were being evacuated, were taken in waiting police vans and other vehicles and sent to their destinations.
Many injured were taken to waiting ambulances, which had been stationed outside the ashram which has 50-feet high walls on all sides.
An injured journalist said that he along with his other colleagues was standing at the spot when suddenly they were surrounded by the police which “chased” them and used batons, leaving them injured.
Police said they were facing a hostile crowd, some of them armed, from inside, but they were using restraint to keep the causalities to the minimum.
The 63-year-old ‘godman’ was to appear before the High Court Monday but he did not do so, with his counsel saying he was “unwell”.
The High Court then issued a fresh non-bailable warrant against him and asked the authorities to present him on Friday.
However, the ashram spokesman had said that “Sant Rampal was not running away from law. We have already said that he will present himself before the court as soon as his health improves. But authorities can’t use force to hunt him down”.
Kapoor evaded a direct reply when asked why Rampal did not surrender before the Court. Rampal has cited health reasons for not appearing before the High Court earlier on three dates – November 5, November 10.
On Tuesday morning, some disciples who managed to come out from the ashram claimed that “thousands” of people were inside the premises and a vast majority of them wanted to leave immediately but were being prevented by lathi-wielding supporters of the ‘godman’.
A large number of women and children are among those who are still inside the Satlok Ashram, those holed inside the ashram claimed.
A woman follower, who identified herself as Kusum from Up, said she somehow managed to come out from the ashram on Tuesday.”I forced my way out. There are scores of people still inside,” she said.
When asked who was putting pressure on them to stay back, a woman follower from Aligarh told reporters that, “I forced my way out. People are facing difficulty in getting food and water. But some men carrying lathis told us to stay back and tried to prevent us from leaving. They told us that the (court) decision will soon come and everything will be alright. We persisted that we wanted to leave and then we came out in a group”. (PTI)