Jaipur: Former BJP MLA Attar Singh Bhedana died at Jaipur’s SMS Hospital late Sunday night after being allegedly attacked with sticks and stones by a group of villagers amid a long-running dispute over a crusher mining lease in Bhaunda village, under the Weir police station area of Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district.
According to preliminary information, the incident took place between 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday, when Bhedana was present at the crusher site.
A group of around 70-80 people allegedly attacked him and his associate, Gagan Sharma, a resident of Nadbai. Both sustained serious injuries and were initially taken to Weir Hospital.
Bhedana was subsequently referred to SMS Hospital in Jaipur, where he died at around 11:30 p.m.
Sharma was referred to Bharatpur for further treatment.
Jitendra Kumar, Station House Officer (SHO) of the SMS police station, confirmed that Bhedana died while undergoing treatment. His body has been kept in the hospital mortuary.
Bhedana’s wife, Kamlesh, alleged that the police and administration had been repeatedly informed about problems at the crusher site but had failed to take action. She said the electricity connection to the mining lease had been disconnected, and the water pump was damaged.
She also alleged that people visiting the site were frequently driven away.
According to Kamlesh, a group of 70-80 people attacked her husband and others on Sunday evening. She claimed that Bhedana had suffered a gunshot wound. Around 20-25 employees were reportedly present at the crusher plant when the incident occurred. However, doctors at Weir Sub-District Hospital said they had prima facie ruled out the possibility of a gunshot injury.
SHO Dhirendra Singh said a dispute between villagers and the crusher operator had been continuing for approximately four years.
Villagers have accused Bhedana of encroaching on grazing land and carrying out illegal mining. A separate dispute over the access road to the lease area has also been reported.
According to police, villagers had been staging intermittent protests for the past two years.
The crusher plant had reportedly remained closed for around a year, and Bhedana was attempting to resume operations. His visit to the site on Sunday led to a confrontation with the villagers, which escalated into violence.
Villagers claimed that a peaceful protest had been underway for the past 10-15 days. They alleged that 40-50 people associated with the Bhedana faction arrived at the site on Sunday evening and forcibly removed protesters from the area, triggering a clash between the two groups.
The confrontation soon turned violent, with both sides allegedly using sticks and stones. Bhedana sustained serious injuries in the incident.
SHO Dhirendra Singh said neither side had filed a formal police complaint at the time of the statement. Additional police personnel had been deployed from Bharatpur, and officials were gathering information about reports of firing. Police were also assessing the number of people injured in the clash.
Although around 20-25 people were reportedly present at the crusher site, the exact number of injured remained unclear.
Dr Ravi of Weir Sub-District Hospital said the injured were brought to the facility at around 8:15 p.m. After receiving initial treatment, Bhedana and Sharma were referred to other hospitals.
Further details are awaited as police investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatal clash.
(IANS)
