Ram Rahim conviction: Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviews situation, appeals Dera supporters to maintain peace

Home minister Rajnath Singh Friday took stock of the situation in Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh in the wake of violence following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case, a home ministry official said.

Rajnath Singh appealed to people, particularly supporters of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, to maintain peace in the wake of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief's conviction in a rape case.

"I appeal to everyone, particularly his supporters, to maintain peace. Any harm to life and property due to this unrest cannot be compensated by any amount of money," he told reporters here.

Singh said he took stock of the situation in Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh in the wake of violence following conviction of the Dera chief. "I have also spoken to chief ministers of Haryana and Punjab (Manohar Lal Khattar and Amarinder Singh respectively), and they briefed me about the current situation and the steps taken to restore normalcy," he said.

He also spoke to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Rajasthan counterpart Vasundhara Raje. The home minister said both Haryana and Punjab chief ministers were confident of the bringing law and order situation under control soon.

Singh, who rushed to the North Block office of the home ministry directly from airport after arriving from Kyrgyz Republic, assured them all assistance in restoring peace.

He has also held a high-level meeting with top officials and reviewed the situation. He said he cut short his visit by three hours and rushed to Delhi from Kyrgyz Republic in the wake of situation in Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh.

Singh directed the central agencies to monitor the situation and apprise him regularly. He is also expected to brief Prime Minister Narenda Modi about the situation.

The central government has already dispatched around 20,000 paramilitary personnel to Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh to assist the local administration in maintaining law and order.