Rajasthan priest burnt alive: Family refuses to perform last rites, seeks compensation

Vaishnav’s hut in Bukna village was set on fire on Wednesday after he stopped five men who were seeking to encroach lands which were part of the temple where he worked as a priest.

The family members of the priest, who was burnt alive in a village in Rajasthan, have refused to perform his last rites demanding compensation of Rs 50 lakh and a government job.

Family members and villagers from Bukna demand justice for Babulal Vaishnav. (ANI/Twitter)

“We won’t perform the last rites of the body till our demands are met. We want Rs 50 lakhs compensation & a govt job. All accused must be arrested & action should be taken against Patwari & policemen who are supporting the accused. We want protection,” Lalit, one of the family members of priest Babulal Vaishnav, told news agency ANI.

Vaishnav’s hut in Bukna village was set on fire on Wednesday after he stopped five men who were seeking to encroach lands which were part of the temple where he worked as a priest. In his dying testimony, Vaishnav named six people, the police said.

The priest died during treatment for burns at Jaipur’s SMS Hospital on Thursday.

The Congress-led government in Rajasthan has come under severe criticism due to this incident. BJP leaders Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Vasundhara Raje said on Friday that no one is safe under the current administration. Union minister Prakash Javadekar has asked Rahul Gandhi to help solve the rising crime rates in Rajasthan rather than spending time on ‘political tourism’ in BJP-ruled states.

State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Satish Poonia announced the formation of a three-member fact-finding committee.