City watching Monday warily

Haryana and Punjab police are keeping a worried eye on Monday when they expect further violence to break following the announcement of the quantum of punishment.
City watching Monday warily

CHANDIGARH: Haryana and Punjab police are keeping a worried eye on Monday when they expect further violence to break following the announcement of the quantum of punishment. The sentence will be given to the Dera chief in the district jail of Rohtak, where he is lodged.

Looking at the ongoing unrest in neighbouring Haryana, the national capital has been put on high alert since Friday and will remain so till further review on Monday night. Delhi Police has advised people to avoid travelling to Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

Though there were no incidents of violence reported from Delhi on Saturday, police are keeping a tight vigil. Movement of vehicular traffic is under intense watch from adjoining districts like Rohtak, Sonepat, Gurugram, and Faridabad.

According to police, in 11 of total 13 police districts, prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been implemented. National Highway 1 from Delhi to Amritsar is safe to travel but the Railways has cancelled all trains till Ambala.

Movement has been restricted in North and North East Delhi after minor incidents were reported at Jyoti Nagar, Jaganpuri, Anand Vihar, Khayala, Badarpur, Sammaypur Badli, and Karawal Nagar. Around one lakh followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, including women and children, are camping at the sect’s headquarters in Sirsa and the situation is tense. Jail officials maintain that Ram Rahim has not been given any VIP treatment, like bottled water or special food. But he has been kept in a separate cell.

The police expect violence in Sirsa and Rohtak (Haryana) and in Malwa region of Punjab. As many as 185 companies of paramilitary forces and around 24 columns of the Army have been deployed. The measures are likely to be in place till Wednesday. Asked about the continued political patronage to such Deras, Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh said it was a decision that had to be taken at the national level.

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