Rajasthan man’s legs broken by goons for ‘raising water issue on Instagram’, he blames local MLA

In his police complaint, Mali, a resident of Kapasan in Chittorgarh, said that after completing his shift, he was returning from his factory at around 5.15 pm on Monday and headed to his home in Kapasan.

He said that on the way, a white Scorpio car stopped in front of his bike on the highway, and 6-7 people stepped out and started assaulting him with iron rods and pipes. Mali said that they started threatening him by saying “tu roz roz paani ki baaat karta hai, aaj tujhe maar kar pani mein phenk denge (You talk of water daily, we will kill you and throw you in water).”

Naming local BJP MLA Arjun Lal Jingar in his complaint, Mali said that the MLA was behind the assault, claiming that he had earlier been threatened at the MLA’s behest for uploading videos saying “ye video banakar daalega toh tera ilaaj ho jaayega (You will be taught a lesson if you upload such videos).”

He said that the men who assaulted him also threatened his friend, Uday Lal Bhil, who was with him, telling him to run off or be killed. He claimed that the men said they would teach a lesson to anyone who dares to raise the water issue.

Mali’s friend, Om Prakash, told The Indian Express, “He told me they wanted to kidnap him and tried to put him in the car, but he held on to his friend (Uday Lal) and didn’t let go. So, they took out rods and sticks and beat him then and there. As vehicles stopped and with people around, they left in a hurry.” Following his assault, Mali was referred from Chittorgarh to Udaipur, where he was brought late on Monday.

Following his complaint, the local police have lodged an FIR under sections of BNS for attempt to murder, rioting, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, and unlawful assembly.

Ratan Singh, SHO of Kapasan police station, said an FIR was lodged against unknown persons and that the police have recorded the statements of some witnesses. “Suraj was riding pillion on the motorcycle while his friend (Uday Lal) was driving it,” the SHO said, adding that no one has been detained as yet.

Prakash said that Mali “had been making videos for a couple of months. Some days ago, the company where he works told him that there’s pressure on them and that he should stop making and posting videos. He agreed and said he won’t post them. However, he again posted a couple of videos recently and the company people again called him and also spoke to his father.”

“His father assured them that he would not make videos, and he also agreed to this,” Prakash said.

Bheru, a local who’s been helping with Mali’s treatment, said “there was no political conspiracy in his videos. He comes from a poor family and is not associated with any party. He was simply reminding his local MLA about the poll promises.”

Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra said, “Both legs of Suraj Mali ji were broken because he had demanded water in the area on social media, reminding local BJP MLA Arjun Lal Jingar of his election promise.”

“This incident of a threat by a BJP MLA and then a murderous attack is a living example of the jungle raj and dictatorial attitude of the BJP government. The report names the accused BJP MLA, but the police have not taken any action so far,” Dotasra said.

The local unit of the Congress party said, “As a vigilant citizen, he was repeatedly reminding the BJP MLA, through social media, of his election promise to bring the water of Banas River to Kapasan ponds.”

Jingar, a five-term BJP MLA, did not respond to calls seeking a comment. However, in a social media post, he said that the “incident is highly condemnable and will not be tolerated. In this regard, instructions have been given to the District Superintendent of Police to arrest the culprits at the earliest.”