On the 4th of April, a Hindu man named Revant Singh (called Rewat Singh in certain places) was assaulted in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan by a group of Muslim youths for lighting a lamp on the occasion of Ram Navami. He had succumbed to his injuries five days later. Now, accusations of negligence on the part of the police has surfaced, Swati Goel Sharma of Swarajya Mag has reported. It is reported that the police station in-charge Shankar Lal recorded an “incorrect statement”.
Karan Singh, a cousin of the victim, told Swarajya Mag, “None of us elders was available to go to the police as we were busy with hospital formalities. Only our nephew went to the police station. We later found out that the FIR skipped the mention of the physical assault. It was an incorrect statement. The sections applied were bailable.” According to Karan, it was only due to the pressure created by the Kshatriya Samaj that top cop in the jurisdiction intervened in the matter.
“It is only thanks to our Kshatriya samaj, which put pressure on the police, that the case has been made stronger,” he said. “Our family is not even looking at the case now. The Kshatriya samaj is handling it.” On the 11th of April, Jaisalmer SP Kiran Kang who had acknowledged negligence on the part of the station-in-charge Shankar Lal and said section 307 (attempt to murder) should have been invoked but wasn’t.
*गाँव माडवा में हुई घटना पर थाना भणियाणा में 302 भादस में प्रकरण दर्ज, आरोपी दिलबर गिरफतार*
— Jaisalmer Police (@JaisalmerPolice) April 11, 2020
*सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल वीडियो का गांव माडवा,पुलिस थाना भणियाणा हुई घटना से कोई संबंध नहीं है @RajCMO @PoliceRajasthan @Igp_Jodhpur pic.twitter.com/1whVeBNaSi
In its latest update on the 14th of April, Jaisalmer Police said that a second accused Iqbal had been arrested and the motorcycle used by the accused had also been seized. Earlier, on the 10th of April, it was stated that one of the accused Dilbar alias Dildar had been arrested by the Police.
*जिला पुलिस अधीक्षक जैसलमेर डॉ किरन कंग सिध्दू के निर्देशन में
— Jaisalmer Police (@JaisalmerPolice) April 14, 2020
*माडवा गाँव मे हुई घटना का 01 ओर आरोपी गिरफ्तार, घटना में प्रयुक्त मोटरसाइकिल भी जब्त* @PoliceRajasthan @Igp_Jodhpur @RajCMO pic.twitter.com/MwBwEKE092
The Murder of Revant Singh
A case of assault was lodged against Dildar Khan, Feroz Khan and Iqbal at Bhaniyana police station by Revant Singh’s nephew. Singh was attacked when he was returning from a ration shop. Being financially weak, local Hindu families and Karni Sena members pooled in money and admitted Singh to a local hospital where he died on April 9 after remaining in a state of coma for 5 days.
In a conversation with OpIndia, Hindu organizations said that Revant Singh had no enmity with anyone. His only fault was to observe the Hindu festival of Ramanavami by lighting a lamp. The incensed Muslim neighbours, who were already holding a grouse against him for supporting PM Modi’s call to applaud the healthcare workers from one’s balcony/terrace on March 22 during the Janata curfew.
While talking to Opindia, Sang Singh (District President of Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena Jaisalmer) and Mool Singh Rathore (Madwa President, Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena) said that Revant Singh’s had an extremely poor background and his wife was suffering from a mental ailment for which she had to be taken to a hospital for treatment. Besides his wife, he is survived by a brother, whose mental condition was also not well. Being the only breadwinner in his family, Singh also had the responsibility of raising his four small children.
