Former BJP MLA Atar Singh Bhadana was killed after being allegedly attacked by a group of villagers following a dispute over restarting a stone crusher in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district, police said on Monday.
The incident took place on Sunday night in Bhonda village when Bhadana had gone to his stone crusher site.
The Congress slammed the BJP government over the killing, pointing out that Bharatpur is the home district of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma.
A dispute over the crusher had been going on between Bhadana and local villagers for some time.
Circle Officer (Bhusawar) Neeraj Bhardwaj said Bhadana and his associate Gagan Sharma were allegedly attacked with sticks and stones during the confrontation.
Both sustained serious injuries and were initially taken to a hospital in Weir. Bhadana was later referred to Jaipur's SMS Hospital, while Sharma was referred to Bharatpur.
Bhadana was declared dead on arrival at the SMS Hospital.
Police said villagers had accused Bhadana of encroaching on land meant for grazing and carrying out illegal mining activities. The crusher had remained closed for about a year, and efforts to restart it had led to further disagreements.
Villagers alleged that they had been staging a peaceful protest for the past 10-15 days against the proposed reopening of the crusher.
They claimed that Bhadana arrived at the site with around 40 to 50 people on Sunday evening and tried to remove them from the protest site, following which a confrontation broke out.
Both sides have accused each other of assault.
Bhadana's wife Kamlesh alleged that around 70 to 80 people attacked her husband and others when he reached the crusher plant on Sunday.
She said around 20-25 workers were present at the plant at the time of the incident.
Bhadana suffered serious head injuries, fractures in his hands and legs, and injuries on several parts of his body. An office comprising two rooms near the crusher site was also vandalised.
Bharatpur Superintendent of Police Rajesh Meena said the crime scene was secured and a forensic science laboratory (FSL) team conducted an examination.
"We have formed teams and detained some suspects for questioning. Those involved in the incident are being identified and action will be taken against them," Meena said.
Additional police personnel have been deployed in the village to maintain law and order.
The body was handed over to Bhadana's family on Monday after a postmortem examination conducted by a medical board.
The family left for Bhadana's ancestral village in Haryana's Faridabad district, where his last rites will be performed.
Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot said that the killing of a former BJP MLA in the chief minister's home district showed that the law and order situation in Rajasthan had completely collapsed.
"When a former MLA can be surrounded and beaten to death by 70 to 80 people, one can only imagine the plight of the common man under this government," Gehlot said in a post on X.
He claimed the dispute had been going on for nearly two years and questioned what the police and administration had done during this period.
"When the warning signs were clear, why was no action taken? This killing is the result of the failure of the police and administration," he said.
Gehlot questioned how a government could assure the public of their safety when even a former MLA of its own party was not safe.
Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully accused the BJP government of failing to maintain law and order.
"Chief minister, how long will people continue to live in fear and insecurity? Is there rule of law in Rajasthan or the rule of strongmen and mafias?" Jully asked.
He alleged that the government had deployed police to intimidate people and put pressure on councillors for political purposes instead of maintaining law and order.
Jully demanded an impartial investigation into the killing, immediate arrest of those responsible and justice for the victim's family.
Former Kota North MLA Prahlad Gunjal also questioned the government's handling of the incident, alleging that criminals no longer feared the law.
He claimed that the government and police had been warned several times about a possible threat to Bhadana but failed to take adequate security measures.
"Despite repeated warnings, there was negligence in ensuring his security. As a result, a former MLA lost his life," Gunjal said.
He described the killing as a blot on the entire system and said there was no guarantee of safety for ordinary people.
Nagaur MP and RLP convener Hanuman Beniwal also questioned the functioning of the police and intelligence agencies following the killing.
"When a former MLA is killed in the chief minister's home district, how can the people of Rajasthan have any expectations regarding their safety?" Beniwal said.
He demanded that the government fix accountability and take strict action against those responsible.
Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani expressed grief over Bhadana's death and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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