Sirsa sub-divisional magistrate Paramjit Singh Chahal, however, said the army has not been given orders so far to enter the Dera headquarters. Defiant followers of the self-styled godman stayed put despite appeals by the army and authorities since Friday to vacate the premises. Dera followers had arrived in droves ahead of the CBI special court verdict. Two of the civilian deaths on Friday were reported from Sirsa, where the cult has its sprawling headquarters. In Sirsa, police detained 15 Dera followers since Friday night even as the authorities appealed to over one lakh supporters still present in the sect headquarters to vacate the premises, superintendent of police Ashwin Shenvi said.

Source: Hindustan Times August 26, 2017 03:53 UTC