Police Won't Hesitate to Shoot in Case of Violence, Says Rohtak Collector

Rohtak: Ahead of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's sentencing at Rohtak Jail on Monday, district administration has warned that miscreants attempting to create trouble may face tough action, including police firing.

If there are any cases of self-immolation or suicides or a self-immolating person throwing himself or herself on to the police or paramilitary forces, Rohtak District collector Atul Kumar told News18, "We will not be left with any other option but shoot".

Kumar, however, added that police will not be "reluctant to open fire but will resort to it only in the rarest of rare cases".

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District administration has the Army on standby, and it will reach here within an hour, in case any kind of violence breaks out, Kumar said.

"All schools, colleges, and universities have been directed to remain shut so that unnecessary confusion caused by traffic can be averted," Kumar said, adding, "we will be patrolling the area throughout the night."

Inspector General Rohtak Range Navdeep Virk has warned mediapersons against venturing out in area surrounding the Rohtak jail. (Photo: Debayan Roy)

The Collector also cited the Punjab and Haryana High Court order in which it directed the officers of the Haryana government "to use weapon or force as per the demand of the situation".

Earlier in the day, Inspector General Rohtak range, Navdeep Virk told News18, "It is not just about the Sunariya town or the main prison area or the main Rohtak city.Even smaller towns located around Rohtak are being manned by separate senior police officers to avert any kind of untoward incident."

The Inspector General requested media people to be careful and not to venture out in the area surrounding the Sunariya jail as "we have issued strict shoot at sight" orders in case of any mischief.

The Haryana government got a rap on the knuckles from the Punjab and Haryana High Court after clashes between security forces and Dera Sacha Sauda supporters consumed 36 lives. "This was a political surrender to allure vote bank," the court observed.