Chandigarh, Aug 30 (DHNS): Eighteen girls, all minors, were rescued from the Sirsa headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda on Tuesday.
They are now under the supervision of a child protection officer and would be sent to child protection institutes subsequently, Deputy Commissioner Prabhjot Singh said.
The exercise was part of the checking being conducted at the 131 premises of the Dera in Haryana.
At least 650 people from Sirsa “ashram” were moved out to their respective destinations. At present, there are around 250 to 300 people inside the sect headquarters. The state remained peaceful on Tuesday as mobile internet services were restored in violence-hit Panchkula.
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Ram Niwas said that mobile internet services, all SMS services and dongle services will remain suspended in seven districts - Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa - until Wednesday.
Curfew was relaxed in some parts of Sirsa on Tuesday. The army, paramilitary forces and the police will continue to be deployed at various places as a precautionary measure.
The police have taken into possession a Gypsy registered in the name of Dera Sacha Sauda found abandoned in Kurukshetra district.