Lathis found hidden at Dera centre in Sonepat

ROHTAK: Around a hundred "items", including lathis, were found buried under the ground at a congregation centre of Dera Sacha Sauda in Haryana's Sonepat district during a police search operation.

The state police has launched a crack down on the Dera's congregation centres on suspicion that the followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh could be storing petrol, diesel and weapons there.

The conviction of the Dera chief in a rape case had on Friday sent thousands of angry protesters rioting in the streets.

In an attempt to avert another mob mayhem, the police have taken a number of the dera followers into preventive detention.

"Several items, including lathis and sticks, were seized from the fields near Dera Sacha Sauda congregation centres in Bahalgarh," IG (Rohtak range) Navdeep Singh Virk told reporters outside the Sunaria jail.

"We have seized over a hundred items in Sonepat. We have made elaborate security arrangements and put some persons under preventive detention," Virk said.

Sonepat's Additional SP D K Bhardwaj said the police seized lathis and other "items" from the Dera's congregation centre at Bahalgarh during a search operation.

Lathis were found buried 2.5 feet under the ground. The police had to dug up the piece of land to take them out, he said.

Rohtak SP Pankaj Nain said a five-layer security ring has been thrown around the Sunaria jail in Rohtak and no incident of violence has been reported yet.

The Army is on standby, he said.

The hearing on the sentencing is likely to begin at 2.30 pm inside the jail premises.