Updated: October 9, 2020 2:52:54 pm
According to the police, the five defendants allegedly poured gasoline on Babu Lal Vaishnav and set him on fire in the village of Bukna on Wednesday. [ANI]
A temple priest died after five people set him on fire over a land dispute in the Karauli district of Rajasthan, police said on Friday. Kailash Meena, the main defendant in the case, was arrested while a search was being conducted for the remaining people, authorities added.
In a press release, Karauli police said that the priest, Babu Lal Vaishnav, had previously complained to the police that Meena and her family were trying to seize the 15 bigha land belonging to the Radha Gopal temple in the Bukna village. Vaishnav and his family were engaged as priests here and would also cultivate the land in question, the statement added.
“According to the complainant, on Wednesday morning Vaishnav had an argument with Meena and his associates about a construction that the latter was carrying out near a hill. Later, the defendant allegedly set the 60-year-old man on fire, ”Prakash Chand, Karauli’s additional police superintendent, told The Indian Express.
He added that the priest was taken to SMS hospital in Jaipur, where he succumbed to injuries on Thursday.
“Preliminary investigation suggests that the land where the dispute took place belongs to the government. There has been a case of five people, including Meena, ”said Chand.
Karauli Police Superintendent Mridul Kachawa said efforts are underway to catch the remaining defendants.
Vaishnav succumbed to injuries at SMS hospital in Jaipur. Based on his statement before his death, a case has been registered under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. The main defendant in the case has also been arrested, ”he said.
The BJP opponent criticized the congressional government for the incident and the increasing number of crimes in Rajasthan.
Former Prime Minister Vasundhara Raje tweeted: “The way the crime graph is increasing in the state, it is clear that women, children, the elderly, Dalits, merchants, no one is safe here. The congressional government in the state must wake up from its deep sleep and give the guilty a heavy punishment and provide quick justice to the family. “
Speaking to reporters, BJP State Chairman Satish Poonia said: “This case of a temple priest burned alive shows that the public order system in the state has collapsed and criminals are not afraid of the law. The Rajasthan Police auction appears to have now changed to ‘Apradhi Mast, Janta Trast’ under Prime Minister Ashok Gehlot.
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