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The family of a temple priest in Rajasthan who was allegedly burnt alive by land encroachers have refused to perform the last rites till the state government meets their demands which include action against the SHO apart from compensation and government job for a family member.
The priest, Babu Lal Vaishnav, was burnt alive in Karauli districts Bukna village by five men who allegedly wanted to encroach on the temple land. The accused cornered Vaishnav near an agriculture farm and allegedly set him on fire after pouring petrol on him. Vaishnav was admitted in crucial condition to SMS hospital in Jaipur where he died on Thursday night.
The case took a political turn with the opposition BJP attacking the Ashok Gehlot government over law and order. CM Gehlot had condemned the incident and said that the main accused has been arrested. “The Rajasthan government is with the grieving family. The main accused in the incident has been arrested and action is being taken. The guilty will not be spared,” Gehlot tweeted in Hindi.
सपोटरा, करौली में बाबूलाल वैष्णव जी की हत्या अत्यंत दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण एवं निंदनीय है,सभ्य समाज में ऐसे कृत्य का कोई स्थान नहीं है।प्रदेश सरकार इस दुखद समय में शोकाकुल परिजनों के साथ है।
घटना के प्रमुख आरोपी को गिरफ्तार कर लिया गया है एवं कार्रवाई जारी है।दोषियों को बख्शा नहीं जाएगा।— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) October 9, 2020
We won’t perform last rites of the body till our demands are met. We want Rs 50 lakhs compensation and a government job. All accused must be arrested and action should be taken against Patwari and policemen who are supporting the accused. We want protection, a relative was quoted as saying.
Superintendent of Police, Karauli, Mridul Kachhawa told the media that a case of attempt to murder was registered at Sapotra police station and it was converted into a murder case after the death of the priest. “The main accused, Kailash Meena, has been arrested, while another accused was rounded up,” he said.
