Chandigarh, November 20
As Rampal and his key aides remained holed up in Barwala’s Satlok Ashram behind a human shield of women and children, the Haryana Police worked on how to deal a psychological blow to the sect head.

As the police flexed its muscle with flag marches, personnel lining the streets and JCBs and riot-control vehicles during Operation Samvedi — the closely guarded name for the operation to arrest Rampal — two strategies were worked out for his arrest. This besides the fact that his followers too were split over whether or not he should surrender.

Plan A hinged on making him helpless and taking the edge off his planning by constantly hovering around to make him realise how vulnerable he was. Plan B concentrated on puncturing the 20-foot walls of Satlok “fortress”. In the end, it was the coming together of both plans that made Operation Samvedi a success, without firing a single shot.

Immediately after Hisar Range Inspector General of Police Anil Rao joined his new posting on November 10, he was faced with the challenge of arresting Rampal who was elusive despite court orders. The IG, it is learnt, did a reece of the area with the help of the Civil Aviation Department to understand the ground reality and the ashram’s layout. He took pictures of the ashram with a powerful camera to plan his strategy, a source said.

Familiar with Rampal and his ways of using women as a shield, Rao — who was the Rohtak Superintendent of Police when the Karontha clash took place last year — met up with his team and prepared the action plan. “While the police kept conveying to Rampal to surrender, failing which his ashram would be ‘attacked’ and he would be arrested, the force build-up outside the ashram, the two-tier security ring that snapped his connection with the outside world, cutting off water, power and other supplies were an attempt to weaken him psychologically,” a source said.

The IG – in meetings with his force since November 11 — drove home the point that cops must not fire given the presence of women, children and devotees. “The idea was to first remove them and proceed. However, the women and children, contrary to the police’s expectation, came charging after which the police changed its plan,” a source claimed.

The police first removed Rampal’s frontal and most vulnerable line of defence — the “human shield” – and moved swiftly to puncture the ashram walls and demolish the gate to deal a psychological blow to Rampal, always sure he was hiding inside.

“Plan B was to puncture the walls at various places. While the force would enter through one such opening, the others would be left for the devotees to escape. However, the force decided against entering the ashram and the trickle of devotees turned into an unending flow. With every devotee stepping out, Rampal’s resistance weakened,” a source said.

Though Rampal was initially expected to surrender yesterday afternoon, the police strategy of not opening fire gave him strength and the hope that he would be able to evade arrest for a few more days. “He realised his game was up the first night after the operation began when his devotees came rushing out in hordes. His men indicated he was willing to give himself up, and the police was more than ready to arrest him. The entire purpose of causing minimum casualties in an operation that could have been a bloodbath had been fulfilled,” an official said.

The operation was overseen by ADGP (Law and Order) Mohd Akil, who shuttled between Hisar and Chandigarh, and monitored by police chief SN Vashisht. 

Plan A
Render Rampal helpless, take the edge off his planning
Method: Constantly hover around the ashram to make him realise how vulnerable he was

Plan b
Puncture 20-foot walls of Satlok “fortress” at various places
Method: The force would enter through one opening and the others would be left for devotees to escape

Final assault
Coming together of both plans - walls punctured in several places, but the force didn't enter the ashram; the trickle of devotees soon turned into an unending flow 

Chandigarh, November 20
The Khattar government botched up the operation to arrest Sant Rampal. Though the government can take solace in the fact that the police exercised great restraint and conducted a neat operation to give a safe passage to over 15,000 innocent persons and nab the sect leader wanted in a contempt-of-court case by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, it was a political disaster for the Khattar regime.

“There were no clear directions from the political establishment on how to handle the issue which eventually proved to be a big embarrassment for the BJP government,” a senior officer told The Tribune.

Right from November 5 when the HC issued first non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against Sant Rampal, the political will seemed to be missing to resolve the crisis with hardly any back channels talks with Satlok Ashram’s representatives and Sant Rampal’s ‘private army’. It was only at the fag end of the operation that two MLAs, Subhash Barala and Jai Prakash, were reportedly roped in to help the government break the impasse. The result was that six innocent lives were lost and over 200 persons were injured in the operation.

Flaying the Khattar Government for ‘unwanted and inexplicable delay’ in execution of the operation to nab Sant Rampal, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhry asked why the state government did not go after Sant Rampal when the HC first issued the NBWs against him on November 5. “Instead, it let over 20,000 of his followers enter the ashram for a congregation and re-group the private army to confront the police,” she asserted.

Even Khattar, who is also the Home Minister, broke his silence 31 hours after the police operation began. Most of the senior ministers and BJP leaders were missing in ‘action’ preferring to keep a low profile during the crisis.

In a state of ‘political vacuum’, senior officers, including DGP SN Vashisht, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) PK Mahapatra and Principal Secretary to CM Sanjeev Kaushal, managed the show. 

Panchkula, November 20
I was in deep meditation, I did not know what was happening outside. I never made my followers a shield. I did not do anything. This was stated by Satpal Ashram chief Rampal after he interacted with mediapersons here today.

He said he was unaware that six persons of his ashram were killed in the clash yesterday. “If this has happened, I express my heartiest condolences.”

When asked was he using women as shield, Rampal said, “Maine kisi ko bandhak nahi banaya. Logon ne apne moh jaal se mujhe bandhak banaya (I have not held anyone hostage, rather people have won me over with love and respect).”

Talking about his health, Rampal said, “Earlier, I was not well, but now I am fine.” 

Panchkula, November 20
The medical examination reports of Satlok Ashram head Rampal say that he is “perfectly fine”, nailing the lie of his followers who have been claiming that he is unwell.

“There are no abnormal findings except for blood pressure which is on a slightly higher side,” the report stated. The blood pressure was 150/90 which doctors said was “normal”.

He is admitted in a special room in the general ward of General Hospital here.

Rampal (63) tried every “excuse” yesterday night after he was arrested from Barwala and brought here for medical examination. He complained of chest pain, but nothing came out in the check-up. “In the morning, he complained of acidity. During the examination, nothing was found and the police was told about it,” a doctor said.

After every two hours, he was examined and, every time, the test reports, be it ECG, blood or sugar, showed that his condition was “normal”. “Rampal is fine and all test reports show his condition to be normal,” said Dr Usha Gupta, Principal Medical Officer.

The report showed a bit of hypertensive history. “Barring a medicine for blood pressure, Rampal was taking no other medicine. He is not suffering from any ailment,” another doctor said.

The hospital was abuzz yesterday night when the local police were informed that he would be kept here. Since Rampal’s followers had been claiming that he was seriously ill, the hospital staff kept a defibrillator, a ventilator and other equipment ready.

Jhajjar, November 20
Residents of Dighal village today distributed laddus at the village’s main chowk to celebrate the arrest of Satlok Ashram chief Rampal. They also burnt Rampal’s effigy and shouted slogans against him.

All residents of Dighal village are delighted over Rampal’s arrest, said the villagers.

They also applauded the police for carrying out the operation efficiently.

The villagers, especially those belonging to the Arya Samaj, had a violent clash with Rampal’s followers at Satlok Ashram in Karontha village, located near Dighal, in 2006 after controversial remarks by Rampal against Arya Samaj ideology.

New Delhi, November 20
An assessment of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Rampal rules out terror or Maoist links despite the use of guns by his followers and recoveries of weapons at his Satlok Ashram at Barwala, Hisar.

“There is absolutely no link of the followers of Rampal with any terror group or any breakaway faction of the Maoists, who largely operate in the central India. The Maoists do not flock to ‘godmen’ and hold such people in no reverence, hence there was no need for alarm,” a senior functionary said, adding that it was more of a case of a local matter going out of control.

Since Satlok Ashram is geographically close to Punjab, the angle of old terror sleeper cells was probed but no links were found. The guns used were largely country-made. This was more of a law and order problem that went out of hand as the supporters of Rampal whipped up emotions among supporters who largely belonged to the lower economic strata of society.

The flow of guns into the ashram could have been checked as there were local-level reports from informers about guns being available to the supporters. Some of the self-styled ‘commandos’ who used to guard him are ex-servicemen from the armed forces or paramilitary and naturally knew the art of holding ground against police force. They converted the ashram into a fortress and also estimated that police would not fire at women and children, hence used them as human shields.

Information on ex-servicemen being involved in the affair will also be sent to the Ministry of Defence.

Barwala (Hisar), November 20
Ratna, a widow from Madhya Pradesh, does not know where to go from here. A cancer patient, she is among the 6,000-odd followers of Rampal who have been told to leave Satlok Ashram today after the police entered the premises following sect head’s arrest yesterday.

She does not have any information about her son, Dinesh, ever since the police launched an offensive against the ashram two days ago.

“The ashram was the only place where I could have hoped of reuniting with my son. Now, I have no idea where to find him and where to go, as I have run out of money,” Ratna (55) said.

She, along with her son, had come to the ashram a month ago in the hope of curing cancer. Ratna did not know that she would land herself in this situation.

There are numerous stories of Rampal’s luxurious lifestyle in his “palace” (Satlok Ashram) equipped with swimming pool, air conditioners and well-furnished living rooms, bed rooms and washrooms. On the other hand, stories of innocent people becoming victims of circumstances abound in the Rampal’s dera.

Devki (68) from Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) was in tears, as she left the ashram with her belongings. Deepu, a youth from Nepal, who was holding her hand to lead her outside the ashram, said she had been living here for the past several months, as she has no member of family or a relative to go to.

“She was getting two squares of meal in the ashram and living in the worship of our parmatma (Rampal). After the crackdown, she is worried about her future,” Deepu said.

A number of devotees The Tribune spoke to in the ashram refused to admit that their “guruji” was a fugitive, who flouted law and used them as his shield to evade arrest.

“Vo to sakshat parmatma hain. Agar vo aam insan hote to police Asaram ki tarah usko bhi pakad na leti. Unhone surrender kiya hai sirf hume bachaane ke liye. Vo jaldi vaapis laut ayenge (He is God. Had he been a common man, police would have arrested him like they arrested Asaram. But he surrendered to save us. He will be back in the ashram soon,” said Ram Avtar, another disciple from Kanpur.

As the police were trying to clear the ashram of devotees, some youths, believed to be part of Rampal’s private commandos, tried to sneak away in the crowd. The police nabbed some of them and took them in custody after beating them up with batons.

A security guard showed nearly 10 black tracksuits of commandos, found in a box, perhaps by the commandoes to sneak out as disciples. 

Agroha (Hisar), November 20
Four of the six persons who lost their lives in the clash between the police and Rampal followers at Barwala yesterday may have died due to asphyxia and injuries caused due to a stampede-like situation.

The exact cause of death of the fifth women and the child will be known after the chemical and histopathological analysis of the viscera samples. Asphyxia, however, is not due to strangulation, as there is no such evidence on the bodies.

Dr Gopal Singal, Director and Dr Rajiv Chauhan, Chief Medical Officer (casualty), of Maharaja Agarsen Medical College (MAMC), Agroha, where postmortem of the bodies was held late yesterday, told The Tribune that while asphyxia (suffocation) has been detected in all six bodies, internal injuries have been found in four of the five women.

“Three rib bones each have been found fractured in the bodies of Santosh and Raj Bala,” said Dr Singal.

However, Santosh’s sons Pawan and Sandeep yesterday said their mother was a part of the human shield outside the Satlok Ashram when the police launched an attack on Tuesday.

“We searched for her for about two to three hours, but she was missing. Later, there was an announcement in the ashram. It was then that we came to know that she died in the police action,” Sandeep alleged.

No member of Raj Bala’s family was in the ashram on the fateful day and hence, it could not be known how and when she died.

The doctors found injuries on the forehead and lower limbs of Sarita, whose husband Shiv Pal alleged that a teargas shell thrown by the police landed on her face.

Malkiat Kaur, who died after a teargas shell landed near her as per her husband Jarnail Singh, had small abrasion injuries on her body. There was no external or internal injury on Rajni’s body, the doctors said.

Ambala, November 20
The office of Ambala Senior Deputy Mayor Durga Singh Attri that was taken over by Municipal Corporation bureaucrats recently was restored to him today.

Last evening, SDM Priyanka Soni, executive officer Arvind Baliyan and Mayor Ramesh Mal reached the MC office and held a meeting following which the office was restored to the Senior Deputy Mayor, today.

The Tribune had carried a report in these columns highlighting how 16 corporators were not provided rooms to sit and interact with the public in the MC office. Attri was occupying a room in the MC office, but last week his nameplate was removed and the room was handed over to the Zonal Taxation Officer.

Attri said a delegation of corporators under the Mayor had met the Deputy Commissioner and taken up the matter with him last Friday, but no action was taken at that time. Attri said corporators still did not have a place to sit in the MC building and the matter would again be taken up in the next House meeting.

Barring Mayor Ramesh Mal and his deputy Sudhir Jaiswal, who share a room in the MC’s cantonment building, none of the corporators has an office. The corporation has two buildings, one in cantonment area and the other in Ambala city. 

Sonepat, November 20
As many as 15 members of a family in Garhi Sarai Namdar Khan fell ill to food poisoning after having dinner at their house last late evening. All were today referred to the Medical College Hospital, Khanpur Kalan, by doctors of the Gohana Civil Hospital after preliminary treatment.

Hari Ram and his family members reportedly ate carrot, potatoes and cauliflower in dinner and soon after complained of nausea.

Their condition is started to be stable.

Ambala, November 20
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today called upon cooperative societies to make efforts to ensure that the cooperative movement was a big success in the state.

He asked Cooperatives Minister Bikram Singh to send study groups to states where the cooperative movement had been a success and draft a new model for Haryana. Khattar was addressing the 49th annual function of the state cooperatives at the HUDA Grounds here today.

“I was associated with the cooperative movement. During my visits to other states, I had found that the cooperative movement of central, southern and western India was far ahead of Haryana,” the Chief Minister said.

A cooperative has a three-tier system and, as he said, coordination should be maintained between all three for the movement to succeed. Cooperative societies, Khattar said, should be formed for sustained profits so to tackle the problem of unemployment. He exhorted farmers to diversify into horticulture and other cash crops to increase profitability.

Earlier, Health Minister Anil Vij urged Khattar to send a delegation to Gujarat for studying the cooperative movement.

Minister of State for Cooperatives Bikram Singh Yadav read out a report, highlighting the achievements of several cooperative federations. Principal Secretary (Cooperation) Alok Nigam, and BJP MLAs Nayab Singh Saini and Santosh Chauhan Sarwan were present.

Sirsa, November 20
Sirsa Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (DETC) IS Godara has ordered the recovery of VAT refunds worth over Rs 2 crore from six rice firms of the district following an SIT probe into the siphoning of funds from the state exchequer by traders in connivance with department officers.

A day before his appearance before the SIT headed by senior IPS officer Shrikant Jadhav on Tuesday, Godara reviewed his office’s orders refunding VAT of over Rs 2 crore to these firms. Godara said these refunds were wrongfully allowed by his predecessors. “I am reviewing VAT refunds running into several crores to 13 more firms,” he said.

He said summons were issued to seven fake firms alleged to have siphoned off fake VAT refund running into several crores, allegedly in connivance with department officers.

The Tribune had carried a report ‘VAT refund scam unearthed in Sirsa’ in these columns on November 10 and another story on November 12 on how an Excise and Taxation Officer suspended for fake VAT refund was allowed to continue functioning by his superiors in the head office for eight months.

In July, Lokayukta Haryana Pritam Pal constituted the Jadhav-headed SIT to look into a complaint against Kaithal Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner Anil Rao (now posted at Jagadhri). As the inquiry proceeded, complaints of a similar nature began pouring in from other districts.

The SIT has so far summoned officers from six districts with records and sought the comments of a senior bureaucrat. The summoning of some other senior officers of the Excise and Taxation Department is on the cards.

After a complaint from Kaithal resident Satbir Singh against Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner Anil Rao, Lokayukta Justice Pritam Pal handed over the probe to an SIT headed by IG Shrikant Jadhav in July.

The Lokayukta order said that as per the complaints, a huge tax scam was going on not only in Kaithal, but in the entire state in connivance with the officers of the Excise and Taxation Department, which requires a thorough investigation by an officer of impeccable integrity.

The order said a thorough investigation was required by an officer of impeccable integrity into the complaint of a massive tax scam in Kaithal and the state in connivance with officers of the Excise and Taxation Department. It said Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner Kamla Chaudhary and Joint Commissioner Tripta Sharma had expressed their inability to probe the matter due to “lack of cooperation” from the higher-ups in the department.

The orders said Jadhav would have all powers of a civil court while trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908 with respect to summoning and enforcing attendance of persons, requiring the discovering and production of any document, requisitioning any record and issuing commissions for examination of witnesses.

Mahendragarh, November 20
The demand for reservation in admissions and jobs in Central University for residents of Jant and Pali villages in this district has again gathered steam with the Central University Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti serving a 15-day ultimatum on the varsity authorities to fulfil the demand.

The samiti has also threatened to launch an indefinite dharna if the authorities fail to take any positive decision in this regard. Residents of both villages also held a demonstration outside the varsity today to press their demand.

“Around 483 acres of common land of both- Jant and Pali villages- were handed over to the authorities on lease for the development of university campus here in 2009. Besides, 55 acres of private land was also given for the purpose,” said Kailash Pali, Patronage of Sangharsh Samiti.

It was clearly mentioned in the lease agreement signed between the village panchayats and the university about giving suitable reservation to these villages in admissions and class III and IV jobs, he added.

• July 2012: Villagers stage a dharna on university campus for 71 days
• October 2012: CM Bhupinder Hooda writes to HRD Minister for consideration of the villagers’ demand
• December 2012: Villagers hold demo at Jantar Mantar in Delhi
• February 2013: Villagers stage a day-long dharna outside university campus
• August 2014: Villagers submit a memorandum to HRD Minister Smriti Irani

Samrala/Khanna, Nov 20
Ludhiana Range DIG Gurinder Singh Dhillon said law will take its course in the case against Sant Rampal registered at Samrala police station in 2013.

“It is a very sensitive matter. All options will be considered as per procedure to bring Sant Rampal to Samrala soon,” he said. He said constituting a special team was a matter of time and they will act after considering all legal aspects. “We are going through the case records.” However, Samrala ADA Kulwant Singh Grewal said they would move court to seek Rampal’s production warrants soon.

A case is pending against Rampal and eight others under section 295-A and 120-B in January 2013. Rampal failed to appear in court despite non-bailable warrants against him and he was declared a proclaimed offender on June 1. The next hearing in the case is on November 28.

A case was registered against Rampal on January 5, 2013, under Sections 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. — OC

Rohtak, November 20
The State University of Performing and Visual Arts (SUPVA), Rohtak, has asked the protesting students to end their stir and resume classes failing which disciplinary action would be taken against them.

Students of the university have been boycotting their classes and staging a dharna on the university campus for the past more than two weeks. Last week, they even locked the university gates and shifted their protest to the university entrance.

This morning, they also locked the small gate adjoining the main gate of the university and staged a dharna in front of the gates.

The students have demanded an amendment to the university Act and grant of autonomy to all four institutes – Textile Design, Fine Arts, Film and Television (Cinematography) and Urban Planning and Architecture – functioning on the university campus.

SUPVA Vice-Chancellor Ashwani Kumar Sabharwal and Registrar Umesh Saroj have been repeatedly urging the protesting students to call off their stir and resume their classes but to no avail. — TNS

Panipat, November 20
Haryana Minister of State for Social Justice, Woman and Child Welfare Krishan Kumar Bedi today urged the state officials to actively work towards wiping out corruption.

He stated this while talking to mediapersons in Panipat, where distributed wheelchairs, tricycles, crutches and hearing aids to 102 disabled persons at a function held under the aegis of the Viklang Vikas Sanstha.

The minister said, “CM Manohar Lal Khattar’s attitude towards corruption is same as that of PM Narendra Modi. Both say they will neither take bribe nor allow anyone to do so. So if anyone is found indulging in corrupt practices, he will not be spared.”

Bedi said the officials with social welfare schemes should work towards effectively implementing pension schemes, so that eligible persons get its benefit. 

Kaithal, November 20
Shivam Bhatt (24), a reporter of Zee News, died in a road accident in the wee hours here today.

Two of his colleagues — Rohit Khanna, a reporter, and Jaiveer Rawat, a cameraperson – received serious injuries in the accident and were referred to the PGIMER, Chandigarh, after being treated at the Civil Hospital here.

Later, Bhatt’s body was handed over to his relatives. The victims were returning in a car from Barwala to Chandigarh after covering the Satlok Ashram case when their vehicle overturned after being hit by a dead animal on the road.

The accident took place at around 3 am near Kultaran village, 2 km away from Kaithal town, on the Hisar-Chandigarh national highway. Rohit and Jaiveer stopped a truck to take them to a nearby hospital. However, Bhatt breathed his last before reaching the hospital.

Rewari, November 20
Memory King Himmat Bhardwaj left the students and faculty members amazed by displaying his extraordinary memory power during a day-long workshop organised at Indira Gandhi University (IGU), Meerpur, here yesterday. He memorised complex formulae, poems, long paragraphs, and mathematical tables.

Bhardwaj, a resident of Gurgaon, has set the record for fastest square root calculation from 1 to 100 up to 10 decimal and recalled 10 out of them within 54.50 seconds.

While interacting with the students, he said brain training was needed to achieve maximum output and it could be achieved by working in a disciplined manner.

He gave scientific explanation about the working of human brain. He gave tips on studying without without stress, achieve single-mindedness, solve complex calculations within minutes and also how to retain concepts and ideas for a longer period of time.

Earlier, Vice Chancellor Mohinder Kumar, while inaugurating the workshop, said such programmes always turned out to be instrumental in developing skills and instilling confidence among the students.

Ambala, November 20
Cabinet Minister Anil Vij today said the Health Department had envisaged a project to put records pertaining to the OPD across all government hospitals online.

He said the project would benefit the patients as they would be able to get treatment from any of the government hospitals across the state without undergoing the same medical tests again and again. He said the medical history of a patient would be assessable from anywhere across the state, making it possible for the doctors to administer best treatment to the patients. — TNS

Sonepat, November 20
The SIT of the Sonepat police arrested a drug trafficker, Mukrim of Mandawar village in Shamli tehsil of Uttar Pradesh, last evening from the Kharkhoda area and seized 1.82 kg charas from his possession.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Pradeep Kumar told mediapersons here today that following a tip-off, the police laid a trap to nab Mukrim.

During interrogation, he confessed that he had brought charas from Uttar Pradesh to supply it in Haryana on higher prices.

The Deputy Superintendent of Police said the market value of the drug was around Rs 50,000.

A case under the under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act has been registered against him.

He was today produced in the court which sent him in judicial custody. 

Rohtak, November 20
The family of Santosh, a woman who died during the recent clash at Satlok Ashram, have alleged that she was killed after being hit by a policeman’s baton.

Santosh of Bhagwatipur village in the district was a follower of Rampal, who was arrested last night following a clash between his supporters and police. Santosh’s son Pawan alleged that his mother was killed in police action during the operation to arrest Rampal. “She was sitting in front of the ashram and was hit by a baton during police action,” he said, alleging that the police had put pressure on him to change his statement. — TNS