Priest dies after house set afire over land row in Rajasthan village

Babu Lal Vaishnav, 50, died during treatment for burns at Jaipur’s SMS Hospital a day after Kailash Meena and others from his family allegedly set the priest’s hut in Bukna village under Sapotra police station on fire.

The house of a priest in Rajasthan’s Bukna village was set on fire, allegedly by people upset at his opposition to the encroachment of temple land, resulting in his death on Thursday, and sparking a huge political row in the state on Friday.

A video of the incident went viral on social media. In his dying testimony, the priest named six people for setting him on fire, the police said. (HT Photo/ Sourced)

Babu Lal Vaishnav, 50, died during treatment for burns at Jaipur’s SMS Hospital a day after Kailash Meena and others from his family allegedly set the priest’s hut in Bukna village under Sapotra police station on fire.

A video of the incident went viral on social media. In his dying testimony, the priest named six people for setting him on fire, the police said. They added that three acres of land is under the temple’s ownership but Meena wanted to encroach some of it.

“We registered a case for attempt to murder against five people; now the charge will be converted to that of murder,” Karauli superintendent of police Mridul Kachawa said.

On Friday, the death of the priest escalated into a political row. State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Satish Poonia announced the formation of a three-member fact-finding committee. Jaipur MP Ramcharan Bohra, national secretary Alka Gurjar and former general secretary of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Jitendra Meena are part of the panel.

Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena said in a tweet that the incident was an example of the poor law and order situation in the state.

Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje said in a tweet that the killing could not be condemned enough. “We cannot express enough grief over it,” she said.

Brahmin organisations gave a memorandum to chief minister Ashok Gehlot through the district administration to demand immediate arrest of the accused and a government job to one member of the family of the priest.

Gehlot wrote on Twitter: “The murder of Babulal Vaishnav in Sapotara, Karauli, is extremely unfortunate and condemnable; civil society has no place for such acts. The state government is with the bereaved family in this sad time. The main accused has been arrested and action continues. The culprits shall not be spared.”

The Congress party’s chief whip Mahesh Joshi said: “I have spoken to the DGP; family will be provided security and their demands will be discussed.” He said he would write a letter to the chief minister to demand strict action against land encroachers.

Vaishnav’s family brought the body to the village for cremation on Friday.