Need Video Of Court Where Ram Rahim Case Was Decided, Say Angry Judges

Panchkula, Haryana: As spiritual guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh headed towards the town of Panchkula in a convoy of 200 cars, drones and helicopters took charge of the skies to survey the huge groups of his devotees that have gathered in the town. The court has found Ram Rahim guilty of rape. He will be sentenced on Monday.

In a second round of indictment of the police and administration, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the use of force, if needed, and said any incidents of arson must be filmed to identify the culprits. They also asked for video footage of the court to review if it was appropriately protected. Yesterday, the judges said the government was already guilty of dereliction of duty by allowing Panchkula to turn into an outpost of Ram Rahim's sect, the Dera Sacha Sauda.

Nearly 1,50,000 followers of Ram Rahim have settled into Panchkula where the verdict was delivered at a local court.  They easily bypassed barricades meant to prevent an influx into Panchkula, and said they must respectfully ignore Ram Rahim's appeal, issued at midnight, asking them to disperse.
 They said they were present to show solidarity with their chief, who has denied raping two women followers in 2002. Trains and buses have been cancelled, schools and colleges and government offices are closed, mobile internet services have been cut off, and the army has been called in Panchkula, where 17 people have reportedly died in violence.