A court in Haryana’s Hisar on Tuesday sentenced religious leader Rampal Dass to life imprisonment in a murder case, PTI reported. The quantum of punishment in a second murder case will be pronounced on Wednesday.

The court had found Dass guilty in the murder cases last week. Dass, lodged in Hisar’s Central Jail 2, was charged with murder, attempt to murder, sedition, rioting and illegal detention. He heads a sect that worships the 15th Century poet and mystic Kabir, who is known for his messages of tolerance.

In the first case, a woman follower was killed at the Satlok Ashram in 2006 during clashes between the followers of Dass and those of the Arya Samaj, reported India Today. In the second case, four women and a child died near the ashram in 2014 during clashes between Dass’ supporters and security personnel, who had arrived at the Satlok Ashram to arrest him for the 2006 murder.

Security was intensified in Hisar ahead of the court’s sentencing on Tuesday. Last week, when the court convicted Dass, the Haryana administration deployed more than 2,000 police personnel to maintain law and order in Hisar district and its surrounding areas. Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which prohibits the assembly of four or more people, was enforced across Hisar.

The cases

The cases were lodged on the basis of complaints of two men whose wives were in Dass’ ashram in November 2014, when 15,000 of his followers formed a human shield around the religious leader to stop the police from arresting him. The police were looking to arrest Dass for ignoring 43 court summons in connection with the 2006 incident when his supporters allegedly opened fire on villagers in Rohtak, killing one person and injuring several. Dass was charged with murder and he spent 22 months in prison till 2008.

After several days of standoff, the state government cut off power and water supply to the ashram, setting the stage for an operation by the state police. However, Dass’ supporters retaliated by hurling stones and acid at the police. Four women and a baby died during the siege, and more than 200 people were injured. The police then arrested the religious leader. A few devotees later alleged that they had been held hostage inside the ashram, including the two women whose husbands filed the cases.