On 25 August, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was found guilty of rape and taken into judicial custody, following which rampant violence ensued on the streets of Panchkula. While the chaos refused to ebb, various political figures tweeted their reaction.
PM Modi expressed his distress on Twitter, stating that he has urged officials to work round the clock and restore normalcy, and requesting everyone to maintain peace.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi appealed to everyone to maintain peace and harmony. Congress MLA Randeep S Surjewal shared her appeal on Twitter.
Omar Abdullah, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, demanded that Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar resign.
However, Omar Abdullah subsequently apologised for his “pellet guns” tweet.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal requested everyone to maintain calm.
Shashi Tharoor expressed his sadness, while Subramanian Swami expressed distaste.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to condemn the rampage, saying violence and brutality have no place in our society.
Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’ Brian shared images of Ram Rahim Singh with various public figures.
Anti-corruption activist and AAP politician Anjali Damania condemned the violence.
Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi raised some serious allegations in the light of the verdict.
BJP MP Baijayant Singh Pandya was of the opinion that “heavy handed measures” should be used to curtail violence.
National president of Swaraj India wondered how the other parties would react to the momentous verdict.
(#TalkingStalking: Have you ever been stalked? Share your experience with The Quint and inspire others to shatter the silence surrounding stalking. Send your stories to editor@thequint.com or WhatsApp @ +919999008335)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)