Sikh guru sentenced to jail for raping two followers

PANCHKULA: Violent protests erupted in India’s Haryana state on Friday, killing at least 32 people, after a court convicted a self-styled "godman" of raping two women, angering thousands of his supporters who said he was innocent, the state chief minister said.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the head of a social welfare and spiritual group, was found guilty of raping two followers in a case dating back to 2002 at the headquarters of his Dera Sacha Sauda group in the northern town of Sirsa.

The supporters rampaged in response, attacking railway stations, petrol stations and television vans in towns across the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, witnesses said. At least 32 people were killed in Panchkula town where the court returned its verdict on Singh and more than 200 people were injured in Haryana state.

"We tried to prevent the unrest in every possible way, but the protesters were totally out of control," Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal told Reuters. "All the injured are getting the best treatment in government hospitals," he said.

Dozens of cars were burning in Panchkula town while a bloodied body lay in the middle of a road. About 500 army soldiers were deployed to restore order. "The situation is coming under control," Federal Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said in New Delhi.