10 dead, Panchkula bears the brunt as violence breaks out in Punjab, Haryana

Chandigarh, August 25 : As many as 10 people have died and scores of them injured as violence broke out in Punjab and Haryana with Panchkula bearing the brunt of violence. Minutes after Sirsa Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted of rape by a special CBI court, his followers went on the rampage torching public property. Five-star Hotel Holiday Inn in Sector 3, Income Tax office in Sector 2, and petrol pump in Sector 4 have been put on fire and completely destroyed. Panchkula’s skyline turned black. At least 10 bodies and several injured have reached the Panchkula civil hospital. Dera followers targeted the media. An OB van was set on fire and two others were damaged in Panchkula. A print media cameraman was hurt and his camera damaged. Security forces used teargas shells to disperse the mob in Sector 3 of Panchkula, which seemed out of control.