A priest died after allegedly being set on fire by five people who wanted to invade temple grounds in the Karauli district of Rajasthan, police said on Friday.
The five defendants allegedly poured gasoline on Babu Lal Vaishnav and set him on fire in the village of Bukna on Wednesday. He was referred to SMS hospital in Jaipur in critical condition. Vaishnav succumbed to injuries Thursday night.
Two defendants have been detained and are being questioned, said SP, Karauli, Mridul Kachhawa. Police said the defendant wanted to invade the temple land.
An attempted murder case was registered yesterday and will now become a murder case after the priest’s death, the SP said.
When targeting the state government for the incident, the opposition BJP denounced that the situation of law and order has worsened in the state under the government of Congress.
There is no fear of the law among criminals who roam freely under the government of Congress. People live in fear while criminals are not afraid. This is the situation when the chief minister himself has the housing portfolio, BJP state chairman Satish Poonia told reporters.
Condemning the incident, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said in a statement that the way the crime graph is increasing in the state, it is clear that no woman, child, elderly person or Dalit is safe in the state.
The state congressional government should now awaken from slumber and obtain family justice through strict punishment for the guilty, he said. The head of the PCC, Govind Singh Dotasra, said that the police have already captured the main defendant.
Vaishnav’s relatives have demanded action against the SHO, investigation by a deputy ranking official, compensation and government work for a family member.
Rajasthan’s chief minister, Ashok Gehlot, said the culprits will not be spared. Meanwhile, BJP State President Satish Poonia alleged a deterioration of the law and order situation in the state. “Criminals are less afraid of the police,” he said after the incident came to light.
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