Rajnath reviews security, told Haryana situation under control

New Delhi : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a high-level meeting today to review the security situation in the country, particularly Haryana, and was told that the situation in the state was under control, officials said.

A special CBI court in Panchkula yesterday convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape, triggering widespread violence that claimed at least 31 lives — 29 in Panchkula and at least two in Sirsa. Emerging from the high-level meeting, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said the director general of Haryana Police had assured the Central government that the situation was under control now.

“Haryana, Punjab and Delhi have not seen many incidents today. Panchkula and Sirsa had a situation yesterday but now the situation has normalised,” he told reporters. Asked whether the Haryana government had failed to control the situation, Mehrishi said, “In an ongoing situation we cannot blame anyone.”

Home ministry officials said Mehrishi and Intelligence Bureau chief Rajiv Jain gave detailed presentations about the situation in Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and chiefs of paramilitary personnel were also present at the meeting.

The home minister was apprised about the steps taken to maintain law and order and restore peace, said an official privy to the development. While Panchkula and Sirsa were “very tense”, the situation in the rest of the state was “tense but under control”, the minister is believed to have been told.

In a statement, the home ministry said the home minister reviewed the internal security and law and order situation in the country in general and in Haryana and adjoining areas and Jammu and Kashmir in particular. “The situation in Haryana was assessed at present to be under control, though it is being carefully monitored. The Home Minister took note of the assurance of DGP, Haryana that the law and order situation in Haryana would be kept in control,” the statement said.

Curfew has been imposed in several places in Haryana and Punjab while prohibitory orders have been imposed in nine districts of Uttar Pradesh, all but two districts of Delhi and one district in Rajasthan following massive violence, an official said. Apart from Haryana, there were reports of sporadic violence yesterday in Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan where police have taken precautionary measures to foil any attempt to disturb the peace.

At least 20,000 paramilitary personnel were deployed in Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh to assist the local police in dealing with the law and order situation.