Another mob lynching in Alwar: Man beaten to death on suspicion of theft

Jaipur, Aug 16: In what can be called yet another mob lynching incident in Alwar, Chiranjilal (45) lost his life after being brutally thrashed by 20-25 people in Rambas village of Govindgarh town in Alwar district.

Official sources confirmed that the victim went to relieve himself in a field on Sunday morning at around 5 a.m. when 20-25 people came in a Scorpio and a pickup and thrashed him mercilessly. Hearing his screams, people ran to the field and saw Chiranjilal lying unconscious on the ground. The accused were also standing there and accusing Chiranjilal of a tractor theft.

The accused then called the police. When the Govindgarh police reached around 6.30 a.m., there was an argument between the assailants and the villagers. The police took the injured to Govindgarh CHC, from where Chiranjilal was referred to a Jaipur hospital at 9 a.m.

Chiranjilal died here on Monday at 3 p.m. When his body reached Rambas village from Jaipur at 11 p.m. on Monday, there was chaos in the house.

On Tuesday morning at 7 a.m., the agitated family members and the people of the village blocked the Ramgarh-Govindgarh road with batons and raised slogans against the government. They demanded Rs 50 lakh as compensation, a job to his family member and the arrest of the accused. The family was adamant on not performing the last rites till all three demands were met. An agreement was reached between the administration and the family at 2.20 p.m. After that the family got ready for the last rites.

On behalf of the administration, Lakshmangarh Sub-Divisional Officer Lakhan Gurjar talked to District Collector Jitendra Soni and assured to get immediate compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family and send it to the government and make a proposal for Rs 50 lakh compensation and a government job. Deputy Divisional Officer Lakhan Gurjar spoke to Yogesh, son of the deceased Chiranjilal. After the consensus was reached, the blockade was lifted from the Ramgarh-Govindgarh road at 2.30 p.m.

Earlier, Chiranjilal’s son Yogesh had raised questions about the police. It was alleged that instead of taking action against the accused, they were released. The family had also alleged that the accused kept roaming in the open after the incident and the police kept waiting for the FIR to be registered.

Seeing the protest, a heavy police force was deployed in the area. Several nearby police stations were put on alert. Additional forces from the district police lines were also deployed at the spot. At the same time, Govindgarh market was closed in protest against the incident.

Sources said a few thieves fled after stealing a tractor from the Sadar police station area. The tractor owners with the police and villagers chased the thieves.

The thieves, seeing themselves surrounded, fled leaving the tractor in a field near a powerhouse. The owners of the tractor came there and brutally beat the victim, who was defecating in the field, mistaking him to be a thief.

Meanwhile Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Rajendra Rathod tweeted that the increasing incidents of mob lynching in the state is the result of the poor law and order system under the Congress government.

Rathod said that even after the passage of the Rajasthan Lynching Protection Bill, 2019 under the Congress government, such incidents have not stopped in the state. Even before this, the state was embarrassed by incidents of mob lynching. A Dalit minor Yogesh Jatav of Alwar was murdered.

Rathod said that the death of a youth Pintu in Bilkhanda in Chittorgarh, the murder of Krishna Valmiki in Jhalawar and the mob lynching of a RAC personnel in Dungarpur are examples of the deteriorating law and order situation. I demand that the government should take strict action against the culprits, he added.

–IANS