{"id":348060,"date":"2017-08-25T14:37:50","date_gmt":"2017-08-25T14:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=348060"},"modified":"2017-11-10T14:47:39","modified_gmt":"2017-11-10T14:47:39","slug":"india-guru-rape-case-12-die-in-unrest-as-ram-rahim-singh-convicted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/08\/india-guru-rape-case-12-die-in-unrest-as-ram-rahim-singh-convicted\/","title":{"rendered":"India guru rape case: 12 die in unrest as Ram Rahim Singh convicted"},"content":{"rendered":"
At least 12 people have been killed in violent protests over the rape conviction of a popular religious leader in north India.<\/p>\n
The victims are believed to be Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s followers. Angry supporters are rampaging through Panchkula town, near Chandigarh.<\/p>\n
Reports of widespread vandalism are coming in. At least two railway stations have been set on fire.<\/p>\n
About 2,500 of Singh’s followers have been arrested, police said.<\/p>\n
Earlier, followers smashed cars and set media vans alight.<\/p>\n
The latest death toll was reported by Indian media and Associated Press, quoting the chief medical officer of Panchkula’s hospital.<\/p>\n
Singh, who claims to have millions of disciples, was found guilty of raping two women at the headquarters of his sect, known as Dera Sacha Sauda, in 2002.<\/p>\n
More than 200,000 of his followers had flocked to the Chandigarh area ahead of Friday’s verdict.<\/p>\n
Thousands of army, police and paramilitary forces have been deployed. They fired tear-gas canisters and water cannon into the crowd to try to restore control, says the BBC’s Ravinder Singh Robin in Panchkula.<\/p>\n
However, the region’s police chief BS Sandhu said the violence was now under control.<\/p>\n