Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh verdict: Army on standby in Punjab

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday said the state machinery was fully prepared for the court verdict against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.The Army is on standby and the DGP had been authorized to impose curfew whenever necessary based on local reports by the district administrations.
Amarinder said adequate personnel had been mobilised and even the Western Command of the Army , which had a strong presence in the state, was on standby if required.“Punjab Armed Police personnel and even 7,000 training recruits are out. More than 12,000 Punjab police personnel are on the ground, along with 85 companies of paramilitary forces,“ he said.
He added that even though the Centre was not able to provide the 256 companies of reserved forces as several of these were scattered across the country and could not be mobilised, adequate forces were deployed in the state.“Whatever reserves were av ailable, the Centre has provided them equally between Punjab and Haryana,“ he said.
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“I have had a word with Union home minister Rajnath Singh and also the Wes tern Command chief. The entire police force is keeping a tight vigil to maintain peace and tranquility in the state.Any attempt to foment trouble in the state would be dealt with an iron hand,“ Captain Amarinder Singh said.
The chief minister , howe ver, said many of dera followers were Punjabis and they would not want to disturb the peace in state. He added that unlike the standoff with Sikh groups in 2007, this time SGPC and other religious bodies had issued statements to ensure that there is no tension.
Asked about the Opposition's charge that the bureaucracy had become more powerful in the state, Amarinder rejected it, saying, “Maybe the CS (chief secretary) will become the chief minister (CM) and vice versa. How can you imagine this? Can the bureaucracy every take over a democratically elected government.“