Dera chief attacked by mob near Sirsa, escapes unhurt

New Delhi: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was attacked by a mob during clashes between his followers and the Sikh community in a village in Sirsa on Tuesday.

According to reports reaching here, the Dera chief's vehicle came under attack when clashes broke out between rival factions when Ram Rahim Singh was visiting the Gukanwale village in Sirsa.

The Dera opponents hit Dera chief’s vehicle, but he escaped unhurt.

He was on his way to the Dera headquarters from Rajasthan when he had halted his vehicle in the village on the insistence of his followers, PTI quoted Sirsa Deputy Commissioner V Uma Shanker as saying.

Police had to fire tear gas shells to disperse the protestors who pelted stones at each other. Five persons were injured in the clashes. But the incident sparked tension in the area and paramilitary forces have been deployed to control the situation.

The police and the district administration were keeping a tight vigil to maintain law and other.

"We had advised Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh not to halt anywhere along the way, but he stopped in the village after his followers insisted on and this aggravated the situation," the Sirsa DC said.