Panipat,
Thousands of Dera Sacha Sauda followers today gathered here and threatened the state government of dire consequences if Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted in the alleged rape case.

Dera followers from various villages in the district armed with lathis and sticks gathered at a marriage palace here raised slogans in favour of the dera chief. They said that they would not tolerate anything against their guru ji.

Saroj and Krishna, dera followers, said that the government would be responsible for any untoward incident if the verdict was pronounced against the dera chief.

Dharambeer Insa, a follower, said, Gurmeet Ram Rahim had been serving the community for the past many years. Thousands of youths stayed away from drugs and a large number of girls had left prostitution due his efforts, he said. “If the verdict goes against our guru ji, then nearly 7 crore followers will be on the road,” he added.