JAIPUR: In a shocking incident, a sadhu set himself on fire on Wednesday to protest against illegal mining in Pasopa village of Rajasthan's Bharatpur district.
Policemen rushed to the rescue of sadhu, Baba Vijay Das (65), and tried to put out the fire by covering him with blankets before shifting him to the Raj Bahadur Memorial Hospital in Bharatpur with 80 per cent burns. His condition is stated to be critical.
A movement of sadhus against illegal mining in Adibadri Dham and Kankanchal in the Deeg area of the district has been going on for over 550 days in this area which the Sadhus claim is a sacred part of the Braj region famous for its links with Lord Krishna. It is where Krishna used to play in his childhood.
According to sources, Vijaya Das went behind the protest site and set himself on fire after pouring kerosene on his body. He then started running saying Radhe-Radhe. Seeing the flames rising, there was a stir on the spot and the policemen on duty did their best to save him.
Just a day earlier, another sadhu named Sant Narayan Das had climbed a mobile tower in the area demanding a stop to mining in this sacred area. Sadhu Narayan Das had been staging a sit-in protest in Deeg to demand a ban on mining in the area, along with some other sadhus.
Given the agitation, Divisional Commissioner Sanwarmal Verma has shut down the internet in five towns of Bharatpur. After the Baba's self-immolation, the Mines Minister of Rajasthan has come on the backfoot. Mines Minister Pramod Jain Bhaya said that the mines which the saints are demanding to be closed are legal. But he remarked that their lease shifting will still be considered.
While the government is looking at the option of shifting the mine holders, Minister Bhaya said that all the mining holders have got leases from the Mineral Department and they cannot be removed immediately. But given the spirited agitation of the sadhus, the government is looking at the option of shifting the mine holders as soon as possible.
However, the incident has given the opposition BJP a chance to attack the Gehlot government. BJP State President Satish Poonia targeted the Congress government for the illegal mining in Bharatpur and said that for the last 551 days in the Kaman area of Brij, the movement of Sadhu Samaj is going on for illegal mining. Even after the demand of saints and despite the intervention of the government, the problem was not resolved, culminating in the self-immolation of a monk. He claimed that the self-immolation of Sadhu Vijay Das has exposed the dogma of the Government of Rajasthan and it is shameful that cognizance of 551 days of agitation was not taken and it has now become a major cause of public outrage.