Self-styled godman Rampal’s sentencing today, Hisar on high alert

The 67-year-old founder of Satlok Ashram in Hisar, Haryana, was convicted in two separate cases of murder last week.
A sessions court will pronounce the quantum of punishment to self-styled godman Rampal, who was convicted in two separate cases of murder last week, on Tuesday, October 16 and Wednesday, October 17.
Ahead of the sentencing, Hisar and nearby areas were on high alert.
Apart from murder, the 67-year-old founder of Satlok Ashram in Hisar, Haryana, was also found guilty other offences, including wrongful confinement of his victims at his hermitage.
Hisar Additional District and Sessions Judge D R Chaliya had pronounced the judgement after nearly four-year-long trial in a makeshift court inside the Hisar district jail.
Rampal and his 26 followers have been lodged in the jail since their arrest in November 2014.
The two cases against Rampal and his followers were lodged at Barwala police station on November 19, 2014. The first one was lodged on the complaint of Shivpal of Mithapur near Badrapur in Delhi, while the second one was lodged by Suresh of Jakhora village of Lalitpur district in Uttar Pradesh.
Both of them had complained that their respective wives had been murdered inside Rampal’s ashram at Barwala village where they had been held captive by the godman and his followers.
On the day of judgement, Section 144 was imposed across Hisar district and around 2000 police personnel have been deployed, according to Ashok Kumar Meena, the District Collector.