Hisar: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) battalion have cordoned off the Satlok ashram of the self styled controversial Sant Rampal to execute the court order to arrest him, reports stated on Saturday.
The CRPF battalion has reached here to help the state police force which is closing-in to arrest Sant Rampal, the report added.
The development comes hours after Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today appealed to Sant Rampal to present himself before the court.
Appealing the controversial godman to present himself before the court in a "peaceful manner", Khattar had said, "In a democratic set-up, one must give utmost priority to uphold the dignity of judicial system."
The CM had also appealed Sant Rampal's followers to cooperate in following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, according to an official release.
Meanwhile, the situation around the godman's ashram here continued to remain tense as the ashram has been turned into a virtual fortress by his disciples to prevent police from arresting him.
Hisar-Barwala Road has been blocked and prohibitory orders have been imposed around the ashram while senior police officials are camping in the district and keeping a close eye on the volatile situation.
The disciples of the godman have maintained that they would not allow the police to arrest him till he "recovers" completely.
Earlier, the doctors monitoring him had pronounced his health as normal.
Yesterday, a large number of supporters of Rampal, including women and children, had gathered outside the ashram, where power supply had been disconnected and there was apprehension of them resorting to violence to avert the arrest.
Rejecting the state government's plea that Rampal was unwell and his arrest would create law and order problems, Punjab and Haryana High Court had on Monday issued a fresh non-bailable arrest warrant against him in a contempt case and asked why his bail in a 2006 murder case should not be cancelled.
Observing that the state government lacked willingness to arrest the godman and no sincere efforts were made to produce him before it, the court had directed the Haryana Director General of Police and the Home Secretary to ensure that Rampal appears in person before it in Chandigarh on or before November 17.
(With Agency inputs)
