New Delhi - A court in north India on
Friday convicted a self-styled "godman" of raping two women,
triggering angry protests by his supporters who had gathered in
their thousands outside the court to protest his innocence,
lawyers said.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the head of a social welfare and
spiritual group, was held guilty of raping two women followers
in a case dating back to 2002 at the headquarters of his Dera
Sacha Sauda group in the northern town of Sirsa.
Policed fired teargas to disperse his supporters, some of
whom threw stones after the court verdict was announced.
Television showed pictures of a media van with a cracked
windscreen.
Singh commands a following that he claims is in the
millions. Supporters started gathering in the streets outside
the court in Panchkula town on Thursday.
"The court has convicted Ram Rahim Singh of rape charges,"
Kohal Dev Sharma, a lawyer at the court said.
"Justice has finally prevailed."
Sharma's sentencing will be announced later in the month,
media reported. Sharma said the Singh faced a minimum of seven
years in prison.
Singh, a burly, bearded man who has scripted and starred in
his own films, denied the rape charge. He had called on his
followers through a video message to remain peaceful.
"We all must respect the law and maintain peace," he said.
Some Indian holy men can summon thousands of supporters on
to the streets. Their systems of patronage and sermons are
hugely popular with people who consider the government has
failed them.
Authorities had earlier imposed a curfew in Sirsa and
ordered thousands of Singh's followers to go home.
Mobile internet services had also been suspended in the
states of Haryana and Punjab to stop people from spreading
rumours and causing unrest, senior government official Ram Niwas
said.
The army was on standby.
In 2014, the attempted arrest of another guru on murder
charges ended with his followers attacking police with clubs and
stones.