Panchkula under lockdown as Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim rape case verdict expected today

As many as 22 columns of the army and more than 15,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, with lakhs of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda followers thronging Panchkula ahead of the verdict on Friday in the alleged rape case against their chief, self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Trains have been cancelled, mobile internet and data services have been suspended for 72 hours.

As many as 22 columns of the army and more than 15,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, with lakhs of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda followers thronging Panchkula ahead of the verdict on Friday in the alleged rape 

As many as 22 columns of the army and more than 15,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, fearing violence in the event of a guilty verdict today afternoon. (Express Photo | Harpreet Bajwa)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), gather in Sirsa, where his organization is based, on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. (Photo | AFP)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. (Photo | AP)

As many as 22 columns of the army and more than 15,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, fearing violence in the event of a guilty verdict today afternoon. (Express Photo | Harpreet Bajwa)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), gather on the roadside in Sirsa, where his organization is based, on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. (Express Photo | Harpreet Bajwa)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), gather on the roadside in Sirsa, where his organization is based, on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. (Photo | PTI)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), gather on the roadside in Sirsa, where his organization is based, on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. (Photo | AP)

Indian policemen stop a vehicle to check for supporters of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect near Panchkula, India, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. Vehicles entering Haryana state are being searched, where both the court house and the guru's ashram are located, and people carrying food and bedding (in order to join the courthouse crowds) are being turned away. (Photo | AP)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), gather on the roadside in Sirsa, where his organization is based, on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. (Photo | AP)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), gather on the roadside in Sirsa, where his organization is based, on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. (Photo | PTI)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), gather on the roadside in Sirsa, where his organization is based, on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. (Photo | PTI)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), gather on the roadside in Sirsa, where his organization is based, on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. (Photo | AP)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), gather on the roadside in Sirsa, where his organization is based, on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. (Express Photo | Harpreet Bajwa)

As many as 22 columns of the army and more than 15,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, fearing violence in the event of a guilty verdict today afternoon. (Express Photo | Harpreet Bajwa)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), gather on the roadside in Sirsa, where his organization is based, on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against them.

Dera Sacha Sauda followers charging their phones as they wait for the verdict. Mobile internet and data services have been suspended for 72 hours in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. (Photo | AP)

A police officer briefing commandos of the Punjab Police near the Panchkula court in Chandigarh. (Photo | AP)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), gather on the roadside in Sirsa, where his organization is based, on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. (Photo | AP)

Dera Sacha Sauda followers charging their phones as they wait for the verdict. Mobile internet and data services have been suspended for 72 hours in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. (Photo | PTI)

Followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), gather on the roadside in Sirsa, where his organization is based, on August 24, 2017, ahead of the verdict in the rape case against them. (Photo | AP)