Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh verdict aftermath: 926 arrested, police alert ahead of sentencing, says Haryana DGP

Haryana DGP Mohammad Akil today sought to allay fears of a repeat of the ghastly scenes witnessed in the wake of self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's conviction on Friday, ahead of the announcement of the quantum of his sentence. The "totally alert" state police and paramilitary forces will be on hand to deal with "any untoward incident," Akil said. The Army is on standby, he added. Akil also assured media professionals that police were making "all efforts" to ensure their safety, and that all arrangements inside and outside the jail were "complete." He said an FIR under sedition charges had been registered - based on news reports - against Aditya Insan and Dhiman Insan at Panchkula police station. Aditya and Dhiman Insan were among five people who media reports said instigated violence after the Ram Rahim Singh was convicted, the Times of India reported today. LETHAL VIOLENCE 36 people were killed in the violence that followed Friday's verdIct convicting the Dera Sacha Sauda chief of rape. 30 of the deaths occurred in Panchkula, the town where the court is located. 20 corpses have been sent home, Haryana DGP Akil said today. Over 250 people were injured after Gurmeet Ram Rahim's followers resorted to arson in several places. Properties worth crores of rupees - including 76 vehicles - were damaged. India Today's reporters and equipment came under severe attack in the violence. Akil said 926 people had been arrested, and that 52 cases had been registered. Curfew has been imposed in Sirsa, where the Dera Sacha Sauda is headquartered. In his monthly Mann Ki Baat address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "the guilty will be punished." "I want to assure the country that no country, no government can tolerate anybody taking law into their hands, whether it is an individual or a group. Everybody will have to bow before the law," he said. (Inputs from ANI)