Indian police have arrested a controversial religious leader at his sprawling ashram, ending a days-long standoff in which six people died and hundreds were injured.
Haryana State Government spokesman Jawahar Yadav said police had arrested Rampal Maharaj and taken him away in an ambulance.
No violence or confrontation took place between his supporters and the police at the time of his arrest, Yadav told reporters.
Nearly 15,000 of his supporters were evacuated from the ashram before he was taken into custody, Yadav said.
The self-styled guru was taken to the state capital, Chandigarh, where he was to appear before a court today.
Rampal is wanted for questioning in a 2006 murder case, but has repeatedly ignored orders to appear in court.
Police have also filed fresh charges against him and some of his supporters, including sedition, murder, criminal conspiracy and detaining people illegally in his compound, he said.
More than 400 people have been arrested after Tuesday’s violence, Yadav said.
Gurus and Hindu holy men are immensely popular in India, with millions of followers. However, the enormous power wielded by the self-styled holy men has led to scandals in which they have been accused of exploiting devotees.
Haryana Police Director-General Shriniwas Vashisht said many of the thousands of people holed up with Rampal were held against their will or were used as human shields to prevent police action.
Authorities earlier tried to flush out Rampal by cutting off electricity and water to the compound. Thousands of people began streaming out of the ashram on Wednesday, and many said armed followers of the guru had prevented them from leaving earlier.
Rampal and 38 others have been charged with murder and other offenses after a clash between his supporters and another group killed one person in July 2006.
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