On Saturday, November 25, an incident of stone pelting was reported near Bochiwal Bhawa in Fatehpur Shekhawati in Rajasthan’s Sikar district amidst polling for assembly elections. Clashes erupted between supporters of Congress candidate Hakim Ali Khan and independent candidate Madhusudan Bhinda during the voting over alleged fraud in voting.
A video of the incident went viral on social media, and it turned out that the stone pelting lasted for around thirty minutes. Following that, a heavy police force was deployed to keep the situation under control, and those involved in the clashes were apprehended. Rakesh, a Fatehpur Kotwali policeman, was also injured. It has been reported that the police had to open aerial fire to control the situation. The stone pelting incident has left the local residents terrified.
#WATCH | Rajasthan Assembly elections: Stone pelting reported near Bochiwal Bhawan, Fatehpur Shekhawati in Sikar. Heavy Police deployed. pic.twitter.com/AAXLlkp5pn
— ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2023
Earlier reports claimed that the voting process was interrupted at the polling booth due to stone pelting near Bochiwal Bhawan, however, the police denied it. Meanwhile, Fatehpur DSP Ramprasad said, “There has been stone pelting among some people after a verbal clash. Some people have been disbursed, and some people have been detained. We will take strict action. The polling is underway but this place (of clashes) is away from the polling booth. There is no hindrance to voting. Those who have not cast their vote yet should go and vote. Security would be provided for everyone.”
Meanwhile, Sikar SP Paris Deshmukh said that the police information about clashes and stone pelting near a gully in Bochiwal locality. He added that a police team including the SHO and CO arrived at the spot and took the situation under control. SP Deshmukh further informed that among the rioters, 7 to 8 have been detained and action will be taken against them after registering a case. The officer said that the area in question was already marked critical, however, the polling process continued peacefully.
After days of campaigning by key political parties, including the ruling Congress and BJP, voting in 199 of 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan began on Saturday. Following the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Koonar, elections in the Karanpur constituency were adjourned. The polls opened at 7 a.m., and voters can vote until 6 p.m. The ruling Congress seeks another term, while the BJP aims to unseat the Ashok Gehlot government.
