'Dera Sacha Sauda gave Rs 5 crore for inciting violence before verdict'

PANCHKULA: The special investigation team (SIT) probing into the violence case involving key Dera Sacha Sauda+ members Aditya Insaan, Honeypreet Insaan and Surender Dhiman Insaan, on Wednesday revealed that the dera had pumped at least Rs 5 crore to fuel violence after sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted for rapes in Panchkula. The investigations revealed that dera's Panchkula branch head Chamkaur Singh was the key person in procuring and spending the money received from dera management. Chamkaur, a resident of Dhakoli in Mohali district, has gone along missing with his family after the registration of sedition case against him on the HC direction on August 28.

Like Panchkula, the dera had sent money to various places in Punjab, where violence had broken out after Gurmeet's conviction. Sources said the dera followers were also told that they would get compensation in case of loss of life during the violence.

"More details will emerge after we arrest Chamkaur.Our teams are conducting raids at his possible hideouts," Haryana director gene ral of police (DGP) B S Sandhu said.

He added had some more persons, who were behind the violence or had provided logistics support, were on police radar. "One prominent person in the case is a horticulture scientist, who is also believed to have pumped money for inciting violence," he said.

The dera followers had started converging at Panchkula, where Gurmeet was to attend court hearing in rape cases against him, since August 23. Dhiman, Chamkaur and some local residents had arranged langar (community kitchen) for them.

Police said besides supervising the operations around the CBI court in Panchkula as well as the Naam Charcha Ghar, Chamkaur was also active in Sector 5 that was the epicentre of violence on August 24, a night ahead of verdict against the dera head.