2017 Northern India Riots
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On 25 August 2017, widespread rioting in northern India broke out after
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan (born 15 August 1967), known also as MSG, is the head of the Indian social group Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) since 1990. Prior to a 2017 rape conviction, he was a religious leader, actor, singer, writer, songwriter, ...
, the religious leader of
Dera Sacha Sauda Dera Sacha Sauda ("Camp True-Deal"; colloquially DSS) is an Indian non-governmental organization described as a "religious cult" and "non-profit social welfare dera" that was established on 29 April 1948 by Mastana Balochistani, an ascetic f ...
, was convicted of rape. The riots began in Panchkula and later spread to other parts of the northern Indian states of
Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
,
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
,
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
and the capital,
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
. At least 41 people were killed, the majority of them in Panchkula, where 32 people were allegedly killed by police gunfire. Quote: "Haryana DGP B.S. Sandhu said there were 38 casualties so far, out of which 32 died in Panchkula and six in Sirsa." More than 300 others were injured.


Background

Beginning 23 August 2017, parts of Haryana, Punjab and
Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...
were put under a security lockdown as 200,000 supporters of Ram Rahim amassed in Panchkula ahead of the verdict. A heavy contingent of security was deployed for the verdict including 97
Central Reserve Police Force The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a federal police organisation in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. It is one among the Central Armed Police Forces. The CRPF's primary role li ...
companies; 16
Rapid Action Force The Rapid Action Force (RAF) is a specialised wing of the Central Reserve Police Force of India to deal with riot and crowd control situations. History RAF was raised on 11 December 1991 with headquarters in New Delhi. It became fully opera ...
; 37 Sashastra Seema Bal; 12
Indo-Tibetan Border Police The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is a border patrol organization of India deployed along its borders with Tibet Autonomous Region. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces, established in 1962 in the aftermath of the Sino-Indian ...
and 21
Border Security Force The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on 1 December 1 ...
companies. Another 10 companies were kept on standby. The authorities had suspended internet services for 48 hours and Section 144 of the Indian penal code (prohibiting an assembly of more than four people) was imposed in
Sri Ganganagar Sri Ganganagar is a planned city and the northernmost city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the international border of India and Pakistan. It is the administrative headquarters of Sri Ganganagar district. It is named after Maharaja Shri ...
,
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
(Ram Rahim's birth-village) in advance of the verdict announcement. Electricity was cut in a few residential areas in Panchkula as a precautionary measure. On 24 August 2017 Ahead of Verdict Sect Head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan Appeal to his Followers to maintain Peace. In a Video released Message he Appeal “I have always respected the law. Even though I am having a backache, still abiding by law, I will go to court.I had already asked to maintain peace and had forbidden to go to Panchkula. All Dera followers who have gone to Panchkula please return to their homes. I have to hear the verdict, I will myself go and hear the verdict. We all should respect the law and maintain peace." On 25 August 2017, around 15:00 (
IST Ist or IST may refer to: Information Science and Technology * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Science and Technology * Graduate School / Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Japan * Graduate School ...
), a special
Central Bureau of Investigation The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigating agency of India. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and governmen ...
(CBI) court in Panchkula, Haryana, delivered its verdict in a 2002 sexual assault case of two sadhvis (female followers) of
Dera Sacha Sauda Dera Sacha Sauda ("Camp True-Deal"; colloquially DSS) is an Indian non-governmental organization described as a "religious cult" and "non-profit social welfare dera" that was established on 29 April 1948 by Mastana Balochistani, an ascetic f ...
. The court found
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan (born 15 August 1967), known also as MSG, is the head of the Indian social group Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) since 1990. Prior to a 2017 rape conviction, he was a religious leader, actor, singer, writer, songwriter, ...
, the Dera Sacha Sauda chief — known as "the guru of bling"  — guilty of
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
. The sentence was scheduled to be pronounced on 28 August 2017. He faced a minimum of seven years' imprisonment. Before the verdict, Ram Rahim appealed to his followers to remain calm, after having made the 250 km (156 mi) journey from the sect's headquarters in Sirsa to Panchkula in a 100-vehicle convoy. Soon afterwards, Ram Rahim's ' Z+ security cover' was withdrawn. He was one of only 36 people in India under that level of government-provided security cover. Ram Rahim was later taken into judicial custody and was reportedly moved to the Western Command Headquarters in Chandimandir Cantonment. Later, he was flown by helicopter to a jail in the nearby town of
Rohtak Rohtak () is a city and the administrative headquarters of the Rohtak district in the Indian state of Haryana. It lies north-west of New Delhi and south of the state capital Chandigarh on NH 9(old NH 10). Rohtak forms a part of the National ...
. After the verdict, Ram Rahim supporters were evicted from Panchkula and Chandigarh. Police and paramilitary forces used
tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...
shelling in Sector 3, Panchkula, to control Dera supporters which led to clashes.


Violence

Following the conviction, his supporters went on a rampage setting fire to vehicles, government buildings, petrol stations, media vans and railway stations. Ram Rahim's followers took to streets brandishing sticks and throwing rocks upon hearing news of his conviction. According to an
Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...
spokesman, two railway stations were burnt in (
Malout Malout is a town, just outside of Muktsar Sahib city in the Muktsar district of the Indian state of Punjab. It is in the southern Punjab "cotton belt", where production per kilometer is one of the highest in India. Malout is on NH-354 and NH- ...
and Balluanna) Punjab and two empty train coaches of Rewa Express were set on fire in
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
's Anand Vihar station. The arsonists also attempted to set fire to Dagru railway station.
PTC News PTC News is a Punjabi language news channel. Indian politician and the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) (translation: ''Supreme Akali Party'') is a centre-right sikh-centric state political party in Pun ...
reporters were attacked and a video journalist went missing since the assault. The rioters attacked the
NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. The company is considered to be a legacy brand that pioneered independent news broadcasting in India, and is credited for launching t ...
channel's
OB Van A television production truck or OB van is a small mobile production control room to allow filming of events and video production at locations outside a regular television studio. They are used for remote broadcasts, outside broadcasting (OB), ...
and injured an engineer. An
India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...
TV crew was attacked and its cameraman injured in
Sirsa Sirsa is a city and a municipal council in Sirsa district in the westernmost region of the Indian state of Haryana, bordering Punjab and Rajasthan. It is located in Thar desert. It is located 250 kilometres north-west of New Delhi and 260 kilome ...
. Its OB van was also attacked by rioters in Panchkula. An Income Tax Department's building and two police vehicles were set on fire in Mansa, Punjab. Twenty-eight vehicles were burnt in Panchkula, including some belonging to the government. A telephone exchange was torched by the protesters in Chananwal in Punjab's
Barnala district Barnala is one of the districts of Indian state of Punjab. It was carved out of Sangrur district. It is a centrally located district bordered by Ludhiana district on the north, Moga district on northwest, Bathinda district on west and by Sangrur ...
. A '' sewa kendra'' was set ablaze near Faridkot. A Vita milk plant and a power substation were damaged in Sirsa. According to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, 7 people from Punjab died in the clashes. He further stated that in Punjab, 52 minor incidents took place barring the incident when a railway station was burnt. At least 32 people were killed in Panchkula and six others were killed in Sirsa in India's northern Haryana state. More than 300 people were injured in the violence after police and paramilitary forces fired on charged mobs. Police fired tear gas, water cannons and
live ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weapo ...
while trying to disperse the mobs in Panchkula and near DSS
ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...
in
Sirsa Sirsa is a city and a municipal council in Sirsa district in the westernmost region of the Indian state of Haryana, bordering Punjab and Rajasthan. It is located in Thar desert. It is located 250 kilometres north-west of New Delhi and 260 kilome ...
. By 7:00 pm (local time), the violence subsided in Panchkula. According to Haryana's Director General of Police, some 10,000 followers of Ram Rahim remained holed up in the DSS headquarters, where security forces were kept on "standby".


Response

Curfews were imposed in several areas of
Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...
city and across the state of Punjab. A number of towns were placed under curfew including; Panchkula, Sirsa,
Kaithal Kaithal () is a city and municipal council in the Kaithal district of the Indian state of Haryana. Kaithal was previously a part of Karnal district and later, Kurukshetra district until 1 November 1989, when it became the headquarters of the K ...
, Faridpur and Malout. The border between the states of Haryana and Punjab was sealed. By around 9:55 pm (local time), curfew had been imposed in 8 districts of Punjab namely — Mansa,
Bathinda Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bathinda District. It is located in northwestern India in the Malwa Region, west of the capital city of Chandigarh and is the fifth l ...
,
Firozpur Firozpur, also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India. After the partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan border with memorials to soldiers who di ...
, Faridkot,
Fazilka Fazilka, also known as Bangla, is a city and a municipal council in Fazilka district of Punjab, India. In 2011, it was made the headquarter of the newly created Fazilka district. The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAPI) project originating in Tu ...
,
Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubarak ...
,
Barnala Barnala is a city in the state of Punjab of India. Barnala city serves as the headquarters of the Barnala district which was formed in 2006. Prior to formation of Barnala district, this city was located in Sangrur district. It is situated ne ...
and
Sangrur Sangrur is a city in Sangrur district of the Indian state of Punjab, India. It is the headquarters of Sangrur District. Geography Sangrur is located at . It has an average elevation of 237 metres (778 feet). Climate Health s ...
. The
Indian army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
was called in and about 600 soldiers were deployed in the city of Panchkula to help restore order. According to the Indian army sources, six columns of army personnel were deployed in Panchkula and two columns in Sirsa in Haryana. While, one column of army personnel was deployed in Punjab's Mansa and another column in Mukhtsar. Section 144 was imposed in parts of Delhi, and in towns of Shamli,
Muzaffarnagar Muzaffarnagar is a city under Muzaffarnagar District in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated midway on the Delhi - Haridwar/Dehradun National Highway (NH 58) and is also well connected with the national railway network. It is kno ...
, Baghpat,
Noida Noida, short for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, is a planned city located in Gautam Buddha Nagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Noida is a satellite city of Delhi and is a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) o ...
and
Ghaziabad Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and a part of Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000. Ghaziabad Muni ...
. By around 8:00 pm (local time), Section 144 was also imposed in
Sri Ganganagar Sri Ganganagar is a planned city and the northernmost city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the international border of India and Pakistan. It is the administrative headquarters of Sri Ganganagar district. It is named after Maharaja Shri ...
and Hanumangarh districts of northern
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
. Until 10:00 pm (local time), Section 144 had been imposed in 9 districts of
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
 — Meerut,
Saharanpur Saharanpur is a city and a municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district. Saharanpur city's name was given after the Saint Shah Haroon Chishti. Saharanpur is declared as on ...
, Shamli,
Muzaffarnagar Muzaffarnagar is a city under Muzaffarnagar District in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated midway on the Delhi - Haridwar/Dehradun National Highway (NH 58) and is also well connected with the national railway network. It is kno ...
,
Ghaziabad Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and a part of Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000. Ghaziabad Muni ...
, Noida,
Bulandshahar Bulandshahr, formerly Baran, is a city and a municipal board in Bulandshahr district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Bulandshahr district and part of Delhi NCR region. According to the Government ...
, Bagpat and
Hapur Hapur is a city in, as well as the headquarters of, Hapur district, in Uttar Pradesh, India. Located about east of New Delhi, the city is part of the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR). National Highway 9 passes through the city, connecting i ...
. It was also imposed in eleven districts of Delhi including in
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
till 8 September 2017 and in
Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
's Nainital. Following the violence in Panchkula, almost 250 trains to Rohtak Junction were cancelled. Mobile internet and data services remained suspended in Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh for the next 72 hours. The deputy commissioner in Panchkula requested the district Red Cross Society to send in their trained volunteers. All
Delhi Metro The Delhi Metro is a mass rapid transit (MRT) system serving Delhi and its satellite cities of Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Bahadurgarh and Ballabhgarh, in the National Capital Region of India. The network consists of 10 colour-cod ...
stations were kept on alert. The Delhi Petrol Pump Association announced closure of at least 12 fuel stations near the Haryana border in Delhi as a preemptive measure. Delhi Transport Corporation suspended its bus services to the
National Capital Region A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surrounding a capital city. It is not always the official term for the region, but may sometimes be used as an informal synonym. Capital regions can exis ...
due to incidents of arson. The
Delhi–Lahore Bus The Delhi–Lahore Bus, officially known as Sada-e-Sarhad (Translation: ''Call of the Frontier, hi, सदा ए सरहद; ur, )'', is a passenger bus service connecting the Indian capital of New Delhi, Delhi with the city of Lahore, Pak ...
service was suspended as well. Bagpat district Magistrate directed all schools in the region to remain closed on 26 August. On 26 August 2017, police sealed the nine congregation centres of the Dera Sacha Sauda in the
Kurukshetra district Kurukshetra district is one of the 22 districts of Haryana state in northern India. The town of Kurukshetra, a sacred place for the Hindus, is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district occupies an area of 1530.00 km² ...
and recovered 2,500 wooden sticks, some sharp-edged weapons and 2.5 litres (0.55 imp gal; 0.66 US gal) of
kerosene Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...
during the search operation.


Aftermath

Three people were arrested in connection with arson in Delhi. According to the Advocate General of Punjab 19 rioters had been arrested including Gurdev Singh, a state-level office bearer of Dera Sacha Sauda. According to a Haryana administrator, more than 500 people had been arrested. According to a Haryana police official, more than 1,000 of the guru's supporters had been detained in Panchkula on charges of arson and destruction of public property. After the rioting spread, a court ordered the seizure of the DSS ashram and other properties in compensation for the widespread destruction of public and private property. According to Haryana's Chief Secretary, D. S. Dhesi, Haryana Police registered two sedition cases when "one AK 47, one mouser, five pistols and two rifles" were recovered from two vehicles that were part of the convoy accompanying Ram Rahim. According to the Haryana Advocate General, twenty-four vehicles were seized and ten
petrol bomb A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see other names'') is a hand thrown incendiary weapon constructed from a frangible container filled with flammable substances equipped with a fuse (typically a glass bottle filled with flammab ...
s were also recovered. A special hearing was held in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for monitoring the law and order situation in the region and other related issues following the riots. According to Secretary Dhesi, all the 36 people killed on 25 August were Dera Sacha Sauda followers, who were killed by police gunfire and stampedes. Some lawyers objected to use of lethal
bullet A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and co ...
s by police and filed a petition to request use of pellets to disperse the protesting mobs. But the High Court bench rejected the plea because mobs armed with petrol bombs and other weapons had created a war-like situation. Police recovered 85 cartons of explosives that used to make fireworks during a raid on an illegal fireworks factory owned by the DSS. There has not been a single conviction in 14 of the 152 cases of rioting that have been decided so far. The
post mortem An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any dis ...
done on the deceased had confirmed that they all had bullet injuries. These people were shot either in the head, in the chest or in the back. On 6 September 2017 National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) directed the director general of police(Haryana), the commissioner of police of Panchkula and his deputy to take appropriate action but NHRC closed the case in 2021 because the case was before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Followers of the
Dera Dera, Dero, Daro, Dhoro, Dahar or Dehra is a word in several languages of South Asia, whose meaning is 'camp', 'mound' or 'settlement'. It appears in the names of a number of places. Geography India * Dera, Himachal Pradesh * Dera Bassi, Mohali ...
had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana high court in March 2018 in which they had claimed that actual death toll was much higher. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs (India) (MHA) on 29 March 2022 submitted data on complaints of police firing taken up by the NHRC in the year 2017 but made no mention of the deaths in Panchkula.


Reaction

The
President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...
,
Ram Nath Kovind Ram Nath Kovind (; born 1 October 1945) is an Indian politician who served as the 14th President of India from 2017 to 2022. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the second person after K. R. Narayanan, from the Dalit community ...
tweeted, "Violence and damage to public property after court verdict is highly condemnable; appeal to all citizens to maintain peace".
Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
,
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
condemned the violence and urged "everyone to maintain peace". While reviewing the situation with the National Security Advisor and the Home Secretary, he asked officials to "work round the clock to restore normalcy and provide all possible assistance that is required".
Chief Minister of Haryana The Chief Minister of Haryana is the chief executive of the Indian state of Haryana. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elect ...
,
Manohar Lal Khattar Manohar Lal Khattar (born 05 May 1954) is an Indian politician serving as the 10th and current chief minister of Haryana. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a former RSS pracharak. He represents Karnal constituency in Haryan ...
( BJP) admitted that there were lapses but asserted appropriate action was being taken. According to Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh, the fault in this mayhem lay with allowing people to gather, adding that "this sort of reaction was anticipated". The following month after the riots, the Hindu secret society
Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (; ), one of the organizations of Hindu ''Sants'' (saints) and ''sadhus'' (ascetics) in India. The ABAP is composed of 14 ''akharas'', or organisations of Hindu ''sants'' and ''sadhus.'' Nirmohi Akhara (involv ...
, had denounced Ram Rahim Singh as a fake baba.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haryana riots 2017 crimes in India 2017 riots August 2017 crimes in Asia August 2017 events in India Dera Sacha Sauda Riots and civil disorder in India