As night descends on Barwala in Haryana’s Hisar district, an uneasy truce has been called. The supporters of “godman” Sant Rampal — many of them armed with guns and petrol bombs — are hunkered down in his ashram. Just across the narrow road, 4,000 security personnel are waiting. After waging a pitched battle for four hours, the two groups seem to have suspended operations till daybreak. The security personnel are waiting to arrest Rampal and produce him in court, while his followers are determined to stop them.
A little over 15 minutes into the truce, one of Rampal’s followers breaks ranks and walks. hesitatingly, towards the security barricade. As he steps over spent tear gas shells, broken bottles and stones, the security forces erupt in cheer. They applaud his every step. Police standing close to the ashram call out to others to follow suit. Minutes later, another man sneaks out of the ashram. This continues, till at least 60 have left the ashram.
“I came from Jaipur on November 7. Every day, they would ask us to stay at the ashram for one more day. In the last two days, they prevented us from leaving, and threatened that the police would kill us,” said Mani Ram, one of those who left.
All through Tuesday afternoon, security forces laid siege to the 12-acre ashram, forcibly removing supporters and tearing down walls and barricades with bulldozers. Rampal’s supporters retaliated with gunshots and crude fire bombs. A four-hour operation and several injuries later, Rampal was nowhere to be found. His supporters claimed he was never inside the ashram.
But Haryana DGP S N Vashisht said Rampal was still in the ashram. The ashram’s spokesperson, Raj Kapur, claimed otherwise. “Baba Rampal has already been shifted out of the ashram and is undergoing treatment in a private hospital outside the state,” he said.
At the Hisar railway station, at least 50 women, who were taken away from the ashram by the police earlier, are waiting. “We wanted to leave earlier but couldn’t. When the police came today, we were sitting outside the ashram. They picked us up. But I can’t leave because my husband and two children are inside. The women and children are being made to sit outside the ashram in shifts so that the police don’t attack.
The ashram people have purposely separated families to make it harder for us to leave. I will stay here until they come out safely,” said Laxmi, a resident of Gonda. The police have cordoned off the railway station.
Many women claimed the ashram officials had tried to prevent them from leaving. “I came for his satsang on November 7, but wanted to leave when the situation worsened. I wanted some medicines from the polyclinic, but it has run out of supplies. The men didn’t continued…
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