Rajasthan
Worrying Trend: Bodies As Bargain Chips To Seek Higher Compensation | Jaipur News
Jaipur: Protesting with bodies to demand compensation has become a major headache for the authorities in Rajasthan.
Scores of protestors in Bharatpur have blocked Jaipur-Agra NH 21, to demand “martyr” status for a 48-year-old man who hanged himself near a near a quota protest.
The local administration spoke to protestors that there was no precedent to declare a martyr a man who killed himself. The protestors refused the cremation of the deceased, identified as Mohan Singh Saini, until family members finally agreed for cremation on Thursday.
These incidents are part of a new rising trend of protests in different districts where bodies are used to exert pressure on the government.
According to officials, the state human rights commission (SHRC) back in 2019 had asked the state government to frame a law that could put an end to such situations.
Recently, CM Ashok Gehlot also took strong exception to the practice of pressuring the administration for compensation over deaths.
In Jaipur last week, family members of Ram Prasad Meena (47), protested for nearly six days after he killed himself by alleging that some people, including cabinet minister Mahesh Joshi, was halting the construction of his house.
The protest continued for several days until the civic authorities assured a dairy booth along with other promises to placate protestors.
Even as cops and the administration were struggling to resolve protests over Meena’s death, another person Sanjay Pandey ended his life on April 19. While the government has criticized the bargaining practices, the authorities continue to refrain from taking coercive actions against such protests.
For instance, in Bharatpur, the local administration held multiple rounds of talks to pacify family members and eventually found a breakthrough on Friday.
“The power to maintain public order empowers police and district administration to take adequate action against protestors. But they refrain from doing so due to fear of political fallouts,” said an official.
Scores of protestors in Bharatpur have blocked Jaipur-Agra NH 21, to demand “martyr” status for a 48-year-old man who hanged himself near a near a quota protest.
The local administration spoke to protestors that there was no precedent to declare a martyr a man who killed himself. The protestors refused the cremation of the deceased, identified as Mohan Singh Saini, until family members finally agreed for cremation on Thursday.
These incidents are part of a new rising trend of protests in different districts where bodies are used to exert pressure on the government.
According to officials, the state human rights commission (SHRC) back in 2019 had asked the state government to frame a law that could put an end to such situations.
Recently, CM Ashok Gehlot also took strong exception to the practice of pressuring the administration for compensation over deaths.
In Jaipur last week, family members of Ram Prasad Meena (47), protested for nearly six days after he killed himself by alleging that some people, including cabinet minister Mahesh Joshi, was halting the construction of his house.
The protest continued for several days until the civic authorities assured a dairy booth along with other promises to placate protestors.
Even as cops and the administration were struggling to resolve protests over Meena’s death, another person Sanjay Pandey ended his life on April 19. While the government has criticized the bargaining practices, the authorities continue to refrain from taking coercive actions against such protests.
For instance, in Bharatpur, the local administration held multiple rounds of talks to pacify family members and eventually found a breakthrough on Friday.
“The power to maintain public order empowers police and district administration to take adequate action against protestors. But they refrain from doing so due to fear of political fallouts,” said an official.
