At least 60 people were injured when supporters of an independent assembly by-election candidate allegedly torched vehicles and hurled stones at a police team that arrived in Rajasthan’s Tonk district to arrest him. The incident occurred after he allegedly slapped Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Amit Chaudhary during a confrontation with a group of voters who were boycotting the polling.
Incident at Samrawata
The violence broke out on Wednesday when SDM Amit Chaudhary visited Samrawata to address the boycott of elections by the residents. The protest has been held here by them as they want their area to be included in the jurisdiction of Uniara tehsil instead of Deoli. Meena, who had joined the protesters also said that his election symbol was deliberately blued on voting machine.
Just as Chaudhary, accompanied by the police force, tried to pacify the protesting people, Meena allegedly slapped the SDM. The policeman confirmed that Meena suddenly attacked Chaudhary, pulled his collar, before striking him, even as the police intervened to try and stem the assault.
Meena Escapes; Backers Attacked Police
Within an hour, the rise of brutality led Meena away to hiding, where police are now hunting him down. The situation took a turn for the worse when the supporters of Meena accused the police personnel of an act of denial of food supply to the protesters. They attacked the police team and started stoning them, where eight members of a police team were injured, out of 60 victims. The authorities responded by increasing forces and tear gas to disperse the rioters.
Opposition Congress Suspends Meena
Independent candidate Meena, who is vying for the seat in the by-election, was suspended by the Opposition Congress and reasons were cited as exclusion from the party’s list of nominees.
Immediate Action Call
The Rajasthan Administrative Service Officers Association has condemned the incident and demanded Meena’s immediate arrest. It had threatened to remain absent from work if no action was taken. Meena, however, claims that he slapped the SDM since he was wronged and believes a proper investigation should be done on the incident. He also claimed that the police tortured his supporters in an attempt to arrest him.
Continuation of Investigation, Police Intervention
After the voting process was over, police superintendent Vikas Sangwan said that Meena was to be arrested but his supporters didn’t allow. “They surrounded the police team and started throwing stones. Meena fled when the police tried to detain him,” he added.
Meena has not been found out as yet and the police are continued with their efforts to arrest him while ensuring the situation remains under control.
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