A 55-year-old priest of a temple in Bukna village of Rajasthan's Karauli district died of burns at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital here after he was set on fire over a land issue. He was attacked by five persons, who wanted to encroach on the temple land on Wednesday.
On the basis of Babu Lal Vaishnav’s statement to the police before his death on Thursday night, main accused Kailash Meena was arrested on Friday.
The police had registered a case of attempt to murder against the five persons. It was converted to that of murder after after the priest’s death and a team led by an Additional Superintendent of Police was conducting investigation and searching for other accused. The priest's body was taken to the village after post-mortem for cremation on Friday.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said no guilty person would be spared in the case. “Mr. Vaishnav’s murder is unfortunate and condemnable. There is no place for such an act in a civilised society. The main accused has been arrested and further action is in progress,” Mr. Gehlot, who also holds the Home portfolio, tweeted.
The priest, along with his family, was doing farming on 15-bigha land, belonging to the Radha Krishna Temple Trust, while the accused allegedly been trying to encroach on the land. He was attacked by the accused on Wednesday, when they were reportedly erecting a shed on the land.
BJP’s demand
The Opposition BJP slammed the State government for the incident. It alleged that the law and order situation had collapsed and criminals had no fear of law in the Congress rule.
The priest’s family has demanded action against the Station House Officer of the Sapotra police station, payment of compensation and government job to a family member.
