Bhubaneswar, Aug. 26: The BJD today demanded the resignation of Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar following widespread violence in that state over the conviction and arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case.

Gurmeet, 50, was accused of raping two women in the 1990s.

Scenes of utter lawlessness - bloodied bodies being dragged away, fleets of cars engulfed in flames, torched OB vans turning into huge balls of fire, charred trains standing still near vandalised railway stations, petrol pumps exploding - unfolded in Haryana and Punjab. Some ripples were felt in New Delhi as well as Rajasthan.

BJD spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Pratap Deb said: "The violence took place in the heart of Haryana. A number of people died and hundreds of vehicles were set afire. The entire state has come under Section 144 of the CrPc. Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar should take responsibility for the violence and resign owning moral responsibility for the violence."

This is the first instance of the BJD making critical comments about an incident in a BJP-ruled state. "We have been accused of going soft on the BJP. Now, by taking a stand on the Haryana issue, we have made it clear that we will continue to go after the BJP in the coming days," said another BJD leader.

Many BJD leaders were earlier critical of the party leadership after it lent support to the BJP on the move to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and announced its support for the BJP's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

Perturbed over the BJD's renewed stance, the BJP has asked the ruling party leaders to refrain from giving morality lessons.

"Their image has already been tarnished because of the mining scam. At this point, they have no right to preach to others. They have lost that right and should analyse their own conduct," said BJP state general secretary Pruthviraj Harichandan.

"The Dera violence should not be politicised," he said.

The Congress, too, has demanded the Khattar's resignation.

"Law and order has completely collapsed in Haryana. President's rule should be immediately imposed in the state," said senior Congress leader Jaydev Jena.

BJD president and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik said he was pained by the loss of lives in the violence and appealed for peace. "Pained by loss of lives in violence in #Haryana. I condemn the unlawful acts in strongest possible terms and appeal for restoration of peace," he tweeted.

Tension over Gurmeet's conviction spilled onto the streets of Odisha as well.

Hundreds of local residents and activists tried to ransack an ashram of the Dera Sacha Sauda at Beleswar Patna on the Puri-Konark Marine Drive after violence spread in various states in the evening. Police detained 15 persons when the protestors tried to enter the premises forcefully.

The agitators demanded that the district administration take over the ashram, which was set up in 2004. Adequate police personnel have been deployed in and around the ashram to thwart any untoward incident.