Dera Chief Conviction: Haryana CM admits to lapses

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday admitted that there had been lapses in managing the law and order situation after a court verdict against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief.

Responding to a question whether there was a lapse in preparations by the state government ahead of the judgment, the Haryana Chief Minister agreed and said, "We are identifying the lapses."

"There has been damage to property and some people have died. We will compensate for the losses... The damage should not have happened. Some miscreants entered the crowd," he said.

Asked about the number of deaths, the Chief Minister said he had information of 15 people dying, but quickly added that some reports said the number of deaths has reached 22.

He said the state government did make arrangements to maintain law and order, and blamed the huge number of Dera supporters for the situation getting out of hand.

"Haryana government made arrangements, but there was a huge mob... He (Dera chief) has lakhs of followers in the country and in the state. We tried to stop them," he claimed.

Khattar also said paramilitary forces are being deployed in sensitive areas, and the Army has been requisitioned for the "vulnerable" areas.

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"We are deploying paramilitary forces in the areas where more disturbance is expected. Army has also been requisitioned," he said.

The Haryana Chief Minister claimed that the government did evict supporters from Panchkula ahead of the verdict, and added that the guilty will be brought to book.

"Those who have taken law in their hand will be punished. We have identified some culprits and some arrests have been made," Khattar added.

With IANS inputs