JCB driver killed in violent clash during demolition drive in Rajasthan

Our Correspondent
Jaipur, August 25

A JCB driver was killed and ten others were injured on Sunday in a violent clash between cops and nomad community people during a demolition drive on pasture land by district administration at Tausar village of Nagaur district. 

The deceased, Farooq, 38, was hit by lathis and thrashed by the crowd, an official of district police control room told The Tribune. 

The victim alighted from the JCB to pursue the agitating people when he was attacked, he added. 

Four injured cops were taken to the district hospital of Nagaur for treatment.

Hundreds of Banjara community people pelted stones on the police force and to control the violence, the police resorted to lathi-charge in which a few might have got injured, he said. 

The removal of encroachments by Banjara community people living in houses in Tausar village, 5 km from Nagaur district headquarters, for the last 40 years was executed in compliance to the Rajasthan High Court orders in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and the rejection of their appeal in the Supreme Court, Nagaur Collector Dinesh Yadav told The Tribune.

Even the High Court had issued a contempt notice to the district administration to do it by August 19 on a petition of land owners, he added. 

Out of 71 nomads of Banjara families living in about 6.7 beegha of pasture land, about 35-40 were demolished after serving them notices and they agreed to vacate by this morning, the Collector said. 

But the situation aggravated and got violent when two MLAs of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLTP) allegedly provoked the illegally staying inhabitants to protest, the Collector hinted. 

A case under Sections of 302 for murder of Farooq was registered with the Kotwali police, he said.

Extra force was deployed to control the situation which was said to be “tense but under control”, the police claimed. 

RLTP MP Hanuman Beniwal, who had alliance with the NDA, strongly condemned the incident and demanded action against the police and administration for taking undue measures to demolish houses of Banjara community (OBC caste) living there for over 40 years.