Deadly clashes have broken out in northern India after a flamboyant spiritual leader was found guilty of raping two of his followers.
Police said that at least 12 people were killed as followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh clashed with police in Panchkula, a town in the north of the country.
Singh, known as the “guru of bling” on account of his flashy dress sense and penchant for diamonds, was convicted of raping the two women in a case that dates back to 1999.
He is the spiritual leader of Dera Sacha Sauda, a controversial spiritual sect founded in 1948. The group describes itself as a “selfless socio-spiritual organization” and claims millions of followers worldwide.
After news of the verdict filtered out, supporters went on the rampage in towns across the northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana, Reuters reported. Television vans were attacked, cars set on fire and hospitals struggled to cope with scores of injured.
In New Dehli, Singh’s supporters set fire to buses and two empty train carriages.
Gauri Prashar Joshi, the deputy commissioner in Panchkula, told CNN that at least 12 people had died in the chaos.
“There have been a lot of people injured and slowly family members are trickling in and I’ve also requested the district Red Cross society to send in their trained volunteers,” Gauri said.
She added that 120 people had been admitted to hospital and the army had been called in to quell the violence, which had since subsided.
Cities in the north of India had been braced for violence in the wake of the verdict as tens of thousands of Singh’s supporters amassed in Panchkula, where the case was heard. They had expected him to be cleared, and reacted angrily to news of the guilty verdict.
Rape in India carries a minimum sentence of seven years. Singh, who is also at the center of an ongoing murder investigation, will be sentenced on August 28.
Widespread influence
The Dera Sacha Sauda sect has ashrams scattered across 10 states and union territories in India and claims to have 60 million followers worldwide.
Singh wields considerable influence in India where he is considered something of a cult cultural icon and performer. He is the star of five films and numerous popular music videos, including the Messenger of God, in which he acts as the hero who saves the nation.
His look is part-biker gang member, part Hindu epic hero. In one of his most popular music videos, “Love Charger,” Singh is seen clad in a rhinestone-studded motorcycle vest with an embossed image of a lion on the back, while singing in front of a large adoring crowd.
The case against Singh was first picked up by India’s Central Bureau (CBI) of Investigation in 2002, though charges were only formally brought against him in 2007, according to CBI spokesperson R.K. Gaur.