Z+ security cops held while rescuing Dera Chief

Panchkula: The Z+ security personnel who were deployed to provide Dera Chief security were taken into remand on Friday, as they tried to save Gurmeet Ram Rahim from being taken into custody.

Seven Haryana policemen were a part of the Z+ security provided to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. They were all held for preventing the Panchkula cops from taking him into custody after his conviction.

The arrested policemen were sent in police remand for seven days. The seven cops have been identified as head constables Ajay Kumar and Ram Singh and constables Balwan Singh, Krishan Das, Khusbir Singh, Vijay Singh and Fateh Singh.

As per a report by TOI, the accused had tried to take Gurmeet away when he was being taken to a helicopter in a Scorpio by a special team of Haryana police on Friday. The cops, who were equipped with a jammer vehicle, also manhandled an IG-level officer who was overseeing arrangements for transporting Singh to Rohtak, sources said.

Police are now interrogating them, the police will also investigate whether they were acting on someone’s orders and who they had been in touch with recently.

The cases of attempt to murder under the IPC and another one under the Arms Act have been registered on the complaint of ASI Ramesh Kumar, who was in charge of the team assigned to take Singh into custody.

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ASI Ramesh Kumar said in his complaint that the accused travelling in the jammer vehicle overtook the Scorpio carrying Gurmeet to the district inspector’s office and forced the police team to stop.

“Before we could react, two persons in commando dress approached the SUV from either side and tried to take the Dera head away. As we struggled, one of them said, ‘Hum pitaji ko nahi le jaane denge. Gaadi back karke in par chada do, inko kuchal kar maar daalo (We shall not allow them to take father. Start the car and crush these cops).’ The driver of the jammer vehicle tried to hit us while we were reversing. We got to one side but overpowered them with the help of other cops,” the complaint read.

Interrogation of the accused revealed that all of them are Dera followers. Police seized their weapons, an assault rifle, and three pistols. Haryana DGP B S Sandhu confirmed on Saturday the registration of FIR against the seven cops.

“We are hopeful of getting more information from them,” he added. Sandhu, however, tried to avoid questions about the assault on the IG. A cop had allegedly opened fire and the IG had a miraculous escape.