JAIPUR: Former BJP legislator Atar Singh Bhadana died after villagers allegedly attacked him during a dispute over reopening a stone crusher in Bharatpur district on Sunday evening.
The attack took place near Bhonda village under Weir police station. Bhadana had gone to a mining site linked to his family. The former Bayana MLA was taken to a hospital in Weir and subsequently referred to Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Hospital for further treatment. Bharatpur SP Rajesh Meena informed that he died during treatment.
Meena said, "A few suspects had been detained, and police teams were raiding possible hideouts to trace others allegedly involved."
"The process of registering a case was underway", he said. "The body had been handed over to the family after a post-mortem examination by a medical board," he added.
Security was stepped up following the violence.
More than 200 police personnel were deployed in Bhonda, Raipur and adjoining areas. Senior officers reached the area to oversee arrangements and prevent further clashes.
The confrontation followed a prolonged dispute over a mining lease in the name of Bhadana’s wife, Kamlesh, and the operation of a crusher near the village hills.
Residents of Bhonda and Raipur had opposed the movement of mining vehicles through the land they claimed belonged to the gram panchayat and was reserved for grazing.
Protests and road blockades had disrupted access to the site.
Weir station house officer Dhirendra Singh said police reached the location after receiving information about a clash between villagers and the crusher owner.
According to the police account, Bhadana had resumed operations on Sunday after obtaining court permission, prompting villagers to gather at the site.
Circle officer Neeraj Bhardwaj said Bhadana and his bodyguard, Gagan Sharma, were assaulted with sticks and stones.
Villagers alleged that they had been holding a peaceful protest for 10 to 15 days when Bhadana arrived with 40 to 50 people and tried to remove them. A report highlighted that both sides accused each other of assault.
Sharma, however, told the media that people at the site were eating when a group arrived on the hill and disconnected the electricity. He alleged that he was struck on the head and lost consciousness.
The killing drew criticism from Congress leaders, who questioned the state government’s handling of law and order.
Congress leader Prahlad Gunjal alleged that Bhadana had sought protection after receiving threats and had approached the Chief Minister, chief secretary and other senior officials, but his concerns were ignored.
He also alleged lapses in medical treatment after the attack.
Gunjal accused the BJP government of seeking votes through its rhetoric on encounters and bulldozer action while failing to protect a former legislator from its own party.
State Congress president Govind Singh Dotasara, in a post on X, questioned how ordinary citizens could feel safe when even a former MLA was not safe.
Bhadana, a native of Haryana, represented Bayana in the Rajasthan assembly as a BJP MLA from 2003 to 2008.