News Analysis India

Tag: Rajasthan

  • ‘Not a question of our prestige’: Rajasthan govt to recall controversial marriage registration bill

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government has decided to recall the recently passed marriage registration bill to re-examine it, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Monday, citing concerns that its provisions will encourage child marriages.

    Gehlot said that the state government will urge the governor to return the bill for legal consultations.

    The opposition BJP and rights activists had objected to a provision in the ‘Rajasthan Compulsory Marriage Registration (Amendment) Bill 2021’ that allowed registration of marriage even if the bride and the groom had not attained the legal age to tie the knot.

    “There has been a controversy in the country that this law will encourage child marriage. We decided that it was not a question of our prestige. We will request the governor to return the bill we have passed,” Gehlot said addressing a programme on International Girl Child Day.

    “After legal consultation from lawyers, it will be considered whether to take the Bill forward or not,” he said.

    Gehlot said that it is the government’s resolve that child marriages do not occur at any cost in Rajasthan.

    ALSO READ | Child marriage kills more than 60 girls a day globally and 6 girls daily in South Asia: Report

    “I want to assure you that I will not compromise on that. We will get it re-examined and if we consider it necessary then we will take it forward or else we will not take it forward. We have no problem,” the chief minister said.

    Despite a ban on child marriages, the state has been reporting such cases over the years.

    Gehlot said that the Supreme Court had made it necessary to register every marriage after which the Bill was introduced and passed.

    He said that legal opinion was taken earlier and the government will take it further also so that child marriages never happen in Rajasthan.

    “The Supreme Court stated that marriage should be registered, be it of anyone.

    In view of this, a bill was passed in the assembly, but a controversy erupted that this law will encourage child marriage,” he said.

    The Bill was passed in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly on September 17 amid objections from opposition BJP MLAs who walked out of the assembly.

    State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal had said in the Assembly that the proposed legislation allows registration of marriages but does not state anywhere that these marriages will eventually become valid.

    If it is indeed a child marriage, the collector of the particular district and the officers concerned will be able to take necessary action against the families, the minister had pointed out.

    The statement and objective of the amendment bill say that if the couple has not completed the legal age of marriage, the parents or guardians shall be responsible for submitting a memorandum within a prescribed period.

    Dhariwal said even the couple can get their marriage registered, provided that they inform their families within 30 days.

  • Rajasthan bypolls: Gehlot, Pilot among star campaigners for Congress

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: The Congress has included Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot among its star campaigners for the bypolls to the Vallabhgarh and Dhariyawad Assembly seats.

    The list released by party general secretary K C Venugopal also has names of Ajay Maken, the incharge of the Rajasthan affairs at the AICC; and state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra.

    The ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had last Thursday announced names of their candidates for the bypolls, which will be held on October 30.

    The Congress has fielded Preeti Shaktawat from Vallabhnagar and Nagraj Meena from Dhariyawad. In Vallabhnagar, the BJP has given ticket to Himmat Singh Jhala. For Dhariyawad, the BJP has fielded Khet Singh.

    The bypolls have been necessitated due to the demise of Congress MLA from Vallabhnagar Gajendra Shaktawat and BJP MLA from Dhariyawad Gautam Lal Meena.

    In the Assembly of 200, the ruling Congress at present has 106 MLAs, BJP 71, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) 3, CPI(M) and Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) 2 each and the Rashtriya Lok Dal 1. Thirteen are Independent legislators.

  • REET 2021 cheating case: Rajasthan Police nabs prime accused

    By ANI

    JAIPUR: Special Operations Group (SOG) team of Rajsthan Police on Sunday apprehended two people including the prime accused Batti Lal from Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath in connection with the REET 2021 cheating case.

    According to Rajasthan Police, the apprehended persons were being tracked for the last three days.

    Last month, the Rajasthan government had suspended a RAS and two RPS officers, along with 13 teachers, education department employees and three police personnel suspecting their involvement in cheating in REET 2021.

    Notably, for the first time in the history of Rajasthan, administrative and police officers and teachers have been suspended in such numbers due to illegal and suspicious activities in the state work.

    Earlier, Rajasthan Police had arrested five persons for allegedly selling Bluetooth device fitted ‘chappals’ worth Rs 6 lakh to candidates appearing in the exam held to select government school teachers in the state, officials said.

    The gang of five people, including a woman, was arrested and a cheating racket busted by Rajasthan police who acted after sensing foul play by a candidate who appeared at an Ajmer centre in the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET) that was held on September 26.

    The incident came to light when aspirant, Ganesh Ram Dhaka (28), who had arrived at the Acharya Shri Dharam Sagar Digambar Jain Secondary Medium School Centre in Ajmer for the REET was found wearing a Bluetooth-equipped chappal.

    According to police, officials deployed at the centre found a wireless earphone in Dhaka’s ear. When questioned, he had confessed about the mobile phone and Bluetooth device hidden inside his footwear. Dhaka confessed that he had purchased the pair of footwear from one Tuljaram Jat in Bikaner for Rs 2.50 lakh.

    Bikaner Police identified the gang members – Madanlal, Trilokchand, Omprakash, Gopal Krishna, and Kiran. Dhaka was arrested by the Ajmer police, and Tuljaram Jat is absconding.

    Ahead of the highly competitive REET, the Rajasthan government had suspended internet and mobile services in Ajmer, Alwar, Dausa, Jhunjhunu and Jaipur rural districts from 6 am to 6 pm on September 26 in a bid to prevent cheating.

  • Four arrested for lynching Dalit man over love affair in Rajasthan

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Four people have been arrested and one minor detained for allegedly beating a Dalit man to death over his love affair in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh, police said on Sunday.

    The incident took place on October 7 in the Prempura area of Hanumangarh where the accused thrashed Jagdish with sticks until he died.

    The accused also shot a video of the entire incident in which they are seen giving water to the victim to drink and then thrashing him repeatedly with sticks.

    Efforts are on to nab other accused, police added.

    A sum of Rs 4.12 lakh has been approved by the district collector as compensation, DGP M L Lather said in a statement.

    The arrested have been identified as Mukesh Kumar Ode, Dilip Kumar, Sikandar and Hansraj.

    BSP supremo Mayawati took to Twitter to corner the ruling Congress over the incident.

    “Beating a Dalit until death in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh is sad and condemnable but why the Congress high command is silent? Will Punjab and Chhattisgarh CM will go there and help the victim family with Rs 50 lakh? The BSP wants an answer, otherwise, stop shedding crocodile tears in the name of the Dalits,” Mayawati tweeted.

    ADGP (Crime) Ravi Prakash said the victim, Jagdish Meghwal, was having an affair with his neighbour’s wife.

    Owing to a family dispute, she separated from her husband, and October 7, Jagdish had gone to meet the woman at her rented accommodation in Suratgarh.

    Knowing this, her husband and 10 others kidnapped Jagdish from Suratgarh and took him to a farm house and thrashed him with sticks.

    The accused later dumped Jagdish outside his residence.

    By the time the family could act, Jagdish succumbed to his injuries, the officer said.

    He said a case has been registered for kidnapping, murder and under sections of the SC/ST Act.

    The investigation has been handed over to the Rawatsar DSP.

  • Why is Congress high command silent over killing of Dalit man in Rajasthan, asks Mayawati

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday termed as “condemnable” a Dalit person being beaten to death in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh, and questioned the silence of the Congress.In a series of tweets in Hindi, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, “A Dalit was beaten to death in Rajasthan”s Hanumangarh. This is very sad and condemnable, but why is the Congress high command silent over it.”

    A Dalit man was allegedly beaten to death on October 7 by a group of men in Hanumangarh over his love affair, the Rajasthan police said. Three people have been detained in connection with the case on Saturday.

    Mayawati said, “Will the Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh and Punjab go there and give Rs 50 lakh to the victim”s family? The BSP demands an answer, otherwise it should stop shedding crocodile tears in the name of the Dalits.”

    On the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, she tweeted, “The cropping up of the name of the son of the Union minister in the Lakhimpur violence raises questions on the working style of the BJP government.”

    The BJP should sack the minister as only then will there be any hope of justice for the aggrieved farmers, she added.

    Mayawati also said terrorists are killing innocent people almost everyday in Jammu and Kashmir, which is very sad and shameful. The BSP demands that the Centre should take some strong steps in this regard, the party chief added. 

  • Rajasthan: Police use mild force against protesting farmers in Hanumangarh

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Mild force was used to push back the farmers who allegedly tried to enter the Hanumangarh collectorate during a protest, demanding procurement of rice on the minimum support price.

    The farmers tried to enter the collectorate to press for their demands but the entry gate was closed by police.

    Some of the farmers jumped the gate and entered the premises, prompting them to use mild force, police said.

    “The farmers were trying to enter the premises forcibly. Therefore, they were pushed back,” Circle Officer Prashant Kaushik said.

    After the incident, the farmers started protesting outside the collectorate.

    “The farmers were demanding the procurement of rice on the minimum support price (MSP). They were peaceful but police used force against them,” said Raghuveer Singh Verma, a member the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha’s Hanumangarh district committee.

    He said that the dharna of the farmers will continue till their demands are met.

  • Rajasthan: Farmers on dharna in Sriganganagar for irrigation water, delegation to meet minister

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Around 250 farmers have started a dharna in Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan demanding release of irrigation water from the Indira Gandhi canal, an official said on Sunday.

    Hundreds of farmers gathered outside the SDM office in Ghadsana and laid a seige to the premises on Saturday evening.

    They blocked the entry to the office following which additional police force was deployed in the area.

    Some officials and police personnel posted there were briefly locked up inside the office by the farmers, police sources said.

    Sriganganagar Collector Zakir Hussain said, “The situation is peaceful and around 250 farmers are sitting on dharna in Ghadsana at present demanding irrigation water from the canal.”

    He said a delegation of the farmers is scheduled to meet Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) Minister B D Kalla in Jaipur.

    “Efforts are being made to resolve the matter through dialogue,” the collector said.

    Superintendent of Police Rajan Dushyant said police personnel have been deployed inside and outside the SDM office.

    He said one battalion of the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) has also been deployed to maintain law and order in the area.

  • Rajasthan Cabinet rejig gets tougher as ex-BSP MLAs camp in Delhi to press for berths

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: The six former BSP MLAs, who had switched sides and joined the ruling Congress two years ago, are now the focus of political attention in Rajasthan. 

    On the one hand, they have to respond to the notice issued by the Supreme Court which asked them to reply on their move under the anti-defection law. Also, the MLAs are believed to be lobbying hard demanding that at least two of them be given ministerial berths. This is likely to complicate the upcoming reshuffle in the Gehlot cabinet expected to happen in the near future. 

    The former BSP legislators in question – Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana, and Rajendra Gudha – had backed the state government when former Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot had rebelled against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot last year. According to sources, they will meet the Congress high command on Friday to make it clear that they won’t back the government if Cabinet expansion doesn’t take place. 

    Memberships of the MLAs, who defected to the Congress in 2019, were challenged before the Rajasthan High Court and then in the Supreme Court after the Sachin Pilot revolt last year. Their memberships were challenged by the BSP and later by the BJP under provisions of the anti-defection law. Ahead of the trust vote in the Rajasthan Assembly last year, the BSP had issued a whip to its former legislators to vote against the Congress and had warned them of disqualification under para 2(1)(b) of the tenth schedule of the Constitution. 

    The Rajasthan HC on August 24, 2020, had dismissed the BSP’s plea challenging Speaker CP Joshi’s order dated September 18, 2019, whereby he approved the merger of the 6 BSP MLAs into the Congress Legislative Party. However, the HC gave the BSP the liberty to file a petition with the Speaker seeking action against the defection of Yadav, Ali, Kheria, Meena, Awana, and Gudha.

    This verdict was challenged in the Supreme Court, which recently asked these legislators to file their final replies. Officially, four out of six ex-BSP MLAs claimed they are in Delhi to discuss with senior lawyers and seek their opinion on how to present their cases. They claimed they are in Delhi to seek ‘legal and political support to save their memberships in the state assembly. 

    Beyond the tussle over their defection, the ex-BSP MLAs are clearly unhappy over the delay in cabinet expansion and political appointments. One of the MLAs Sandeep Yadav who is also camping in  Delhi since Wednesday night told the media, “We need to save our membership as MLAs at any cost for that purpose we are open to meeting Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, or even with Amit Shah, whoever help to save our membership we will support them”. 

    While CM Gehlot has refused to reshuffle his Cabinet so far, the recent meeting between Sachin Pilot, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has ignited a big buzz about major changes in the state. The ex- BSP MLAs are said to be demanding at least 2 ministerial berths when the cabinet is reshuffled. They are likely to meet AICC General Secretaries Ajay Maken and KC Venugopal in the next few days to press for their demands.   

    With 21 ministers, the Gehlot cabinet can have another 9 ministers as the upper cap is 30 in the state. For the 9 vacant spots, the Pilot camp is already demanding 4 berths and some of the 13 Independent MLAs who have been supporting the Gehlot government will also need to be accommodated. The demand for ministerial berths from the ex-BSP MLAs is all set to make the situation more complicated for the Congress which is already facing a huge turmoil in Punjab and can hardly afford to create another crisis in Rajasthan.

  • Cops arrest two men from Bengaluru 3 years after Kerala biker’s death in Jaisalmer

    By PTI

    JAISALMER: Three years after a 34-year-old biker died mysteriously during a practice run in a desert here in Jaisalmer before the India-Baja Motorsports Rally, the police have arrested two of his friends for meticulously executing the murder in collusion with his wife.

    Biker Asbak Mon’s friends Sanjay and Vishwas were arrested from Bengaluru on September 22 and brought here, police said, adding other accused persons, including Mon’s wife Sumera Parvez and some other friends, will be arrested soon.

    Mon had died on August 16, 2018 during a practice run in the desert before the motorsports event, police said, adding he was initially said to have lost his way in the desert and suspected to have died of dehydration.

    His wife too had not suspected any foul play and the police had closed the case after registering the incident under CrPC provisions.

    The case was reopened last year after Jaisalmer Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh while examining old cases, found several discrepancies in the incident involving the biker’s death.

    The discrepancies included insufficient efforts of Mom’s wife and his friends, with whom he had gone on the practice run in the desert, to search him, besides some photographs showing injury marks on the deceased body and his properly-parked motorcycle, Jaisalmer’s Additional Superintendent of Police Narendra Choudhary said.

    Call records of Mon’s wife and friends and their behaviour too raised suspicions, he said, adding Mon’s family members from Kunnur in Kerala too had been crying foul in the incident following which a murder case was registered in December 2020 and two of his friends were arrested now.

    The police are also on the lookout for some other friends of Mon, who had come to Jaisalmer to participate in the rally along with his wife and three other friends Sabik, Neeraj and Santosh.

     

  • Married couple die by suicide in Rajasthan

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: A middle-aged couple allegedly committed suicide by hanging themselves from two trees in Nagaur district of Rajasthan, police said Wednesday.

    Surjaram (45) and his wife Teeju Devi (42) went to their farm late on Tuesday night and hanged themselves from two trees, Station House Officer, Ladnun police station, Rajendra Singh said.

    “Reason of the suicide is not clear yet. Their son and daughter, both are married. The son is in the Indian army posted in Jaisalmer and his wife was at her parents” house when the incident took place,” he said.

    The bodies were handed over to family members after postmortem, he added.

    Meanwhile, in Dungarpur district, a man committed suicide early Wednesday. 

    Her wife had gone to fetch milk and he was sleeping.

    When she returned after around 15 minutes, she found him hanging, police said.

    He was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him dead, police said, adding the matter was being probed. 

    (If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation – 04424640050 (available 24×7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ helpline – 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)