India’s “godman” convicted of rape, slammed with 10-yr sentence

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh better known as ‘godman’ in India has been slapped with a 10-year jail term after he was convicted by a court for raping two of his followers in 2002.

A judge in Rohtak town in Haryana, a northern state in India on Monday handed out the punishment to the 50-year-old sect leader.

“The court has ordered 10-year jail term for the accused,” Ram Niwas, the senior bureaucrat in charge of law and order in Haryana, told Reuters news agency.

Read also: INDIA: 100 arrested, 300 train trips cancelled as protests over ‘godman’ spread

Reports say security has been beefed in Rohtak and Sirsa, where Singh’s headquarters are located, amid fears of further violence.

“Security forces are searching anyone who’s entering Rohtak, while Sirsa is still under curfew,” he said.

“In Sirsa, thousands of his followers are holed up in his ashram, or spritual centre, and they are refusing to leave.”

Two days ago, no less than 29 people were killed in violent protests following the conviction of the self-styled ’godman’ as Indian authorities were forced to arrest about 100 people and cancelled 300 train trips in the northern region of the country.

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