Indian ‘godman’ Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh found guilty of rape in as police close the internet
MOBS rampaged across a north Indian state on Friday, leaving 28 people dead and more than 250 others injured, after a court declared a quasi-religious sect leader guilty of raping two of his followers, authorities said.
Mobs set fire to government buildings and attacked police and TV journalists in the town of Panchkula in Haryana state, smashing the windshields of news vans and breaking broadcast equipment.
Police initially used tear gas and water cannons and then fired bullets in the air in an attempt to control the surging mobs as they vandalized bus stations and government vehicles.
The Indian Army was deployed to deal with the situation.
“The situation is tense. There has been arson and burning,” Rajiv Mehrishi, the federal home secretary, said late on Friday.
The violence left at least 28 dead, including some with bullet wounds, and more than 250 injured, according to B.S. Sandhu, a top Haryana police official. He said more than 1,000 of the guru’s supporters had been detained in Panchkula on charges of arson and destruction of public property.
The state government has snapped internet connectivity in the area and cellphone companies stopped their text messaging services across the two states.