Tonk (Rajasthan): Independent MLA candidate Naresh Meena was arrested on Thursday following high drama and escalating violence in which a mob assaulted a PTI reporter and video cameraperson and burnt their camera.
The attack, a day after the Congress rebel contesting as an Independent in the bypolls slapped SDM Malpura Amit Chaudhary outside a polling booth in front of hundreds of people, came while the PTI crew was covering a protest following the arrest.
PTI reporter Ajeet Shekhawat and cameraperson Dharmendra Kumar were badly injured and rushed to hospital.
In a selfie video sent to the PTI head office in Delhi, Shekhawat can be seen bleeding from under his left eye. He said his colleague Dharmendra suffered a gash on the head and his arm may be broken.
The two came under attack when they were about to interview Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena, who had gone to the trouble spot to assess the situation in Tonk district’s Samravta village, about 100 km from the state capital Jaipur.
The violence has been going on since Wednesday evening when police tried to stop Naresh Meena’s supporters from sitting on dharna.
The slap, videos of which were circulated widely on social media platforms, set in motion differing protests from both his supporters and Rajasthan Administrative Service officials. The tension that started outside the polling booth snowballing into outright violence through the night and into Thursday.
Work across government offices in the state was hit in the morning with officials of the RAS Association and allied services going on a pen-down strike demanding that Meena be arrested. They said they would continue till a meeting with Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma.
Ranged against them were Meena’s alleged supporters. About 60 two-wheelers and 18 four-wheelers, including police vehicles, were torched in the violence that erupted outside the polling booth in Samravta village in the Deoli-Uniara assembly constituency when police tried to prevent the dharna.
About 60 people were arrested in the early hours of Thursday following the violence that also saw crowds pelting stones at police personnel.
As the morning progressed, tension spiralled. “I will not surrender,” a defiant Meena told jostling camera crews in Samravta after he was taken into custody.
As restless crowds could be seen roaming the village, police mounted vigil to ensure that nothing more goes wrong.
The arrest was planned with care.
Police administration, which included senior officers in full riot gear, were deployed in full strength and held a flag march. Tonk Superintendent of Police Vikas Sangwan gave the final direction to the police team to enter the village and take Meena in its custody.
Police fired teargas shells to disperse the agitated mob after Meena’s arrest. Some also pelted stones at the police but no injuries were reported. Alleged supporters of Meena blocked the roads, which were removed.
“It could be anyone… the government is strict with those who commit crime. We are getting the entire incident investigated and asked for a report and soon action will be taken against those who are guilty,” said Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham.
According to Inspector General of Police (Ajmer) Om Prakash, four cases, including for disrupting public work and damaging public property, were registered against Meena.
It all started when Chaudhary, who was on election duty, was trying to get people to vote in the village, which had boycotted polling over a demand that Samravta be included in Uniara sub-division instead of Deoli. Meena was supporting the villagers.
Hundreds of people were present outside the polling station when it happened. Meena later sat on a dharna outside a polling booth and asked his supporters to gather with sticks.
After polling was over, police asked Meena and his supporters to disperse so the polling party could leave the station with EVM machines. However, police said, they turned violent and pelted stones at police.
Before his arrest, Meena blamed Tonk District Collector Saumya Jha and SP Sangwan for what had happened.
“All 60 people who have been arrested are innocent. If anyone should be punished, it should be me,” he said, alleging that the SDM on election duty had been working on the directions of the BJP.
“He got 30 people to vote by threatening them to take action against them. I could not stop myself. I slapped him. It is correct. Seeing his nature, he should have been slapped more.”
RAS Association General Secretary Neetu Rajeshwar told PTI that what had happened was intolerable.
“Such an incident is not tolerable. SDM Amit Chaudhary was slapped when he was doing his election duty fairly. The association is on a pen-down strike on Thursday. We will call off the strike after a representation with the chief minister on other demands. All our demands are constitutional. We don’t want to let the public work suffer,” Rajeshwar said.
Polling for bypolls on seven assembly seats, including Deoli-Uniara, was held yesterday from 7 am to 6 pm and counting will take place on November 23.
