Jaipur: A police officer was burnt alive by a mob on Thursday evening in Rajasthan Sawai Madhopur district. The shocking incident took place after a man jumped from an overhead water tank and died to protest against alleged police inaction in a murder case.
According to Rajasthan Additional Director General (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh, Station House Officer Phool Mohammad was burnt alive by the agitated mob which also torched his jeep after he reached the spot where the man had jumped from the water tank in Mantown area of Sawai Madhopur.
The mob also pelted stones at the policemen in which over 16 personnel were injuries.
Two men climbed the water tank and threatened to jump from it if the police did not arrest the killers of an elderly women in Sudwal vilage, whose legs had been chopped off during a robbery on February 25.
One of them - Rajesh Meena - jumped from the tank and died. When police reached the spot, the mob which had gathered there torched the police jeep in which SHO Mantown Phool Mohammad was sitting, Singh said.
"The situation in the area is tense but under control. Extra forces have been deployed to maintain law and order, and IG Law and order has been rushed to Sawaimadhopur to monitor the situation," he said.
Rajasthan Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje condemned incident and expressed her grief. Raje blamed the Congress government fo Ashok Gehlot for the poor law and order situation in the state.
"It is a shocking incident that a man jumped from water tank and died, and in protest a police officer was burnt alive in Sawaimadhopur. Anarchy is everywhere in the state during the regime of Congress government and the issue of deteriorating law and order situation is a very serious matter," she said.
When a police party was returning to the city with the mortal remains of the SHO from the spot, it faced another protest by locals of Karmoda village following which it had to open fire in which a man was injured.
"People were annoyed over the death of the SHO and had blocked the road. The police was going to Sawai Madhopur hospital with the SHO's charred body, when they had to face another protest," Singh said.
"In self defence, the police opened fire in which a man Siraz was injured. He is now admitted at SMS hospital in Jaipur," Singh said.
He said the SHO had tried to move from the spot in his jeep after his vehicle was set ablaze but he could not do so and fainted in the vehicle and was burnt alive.
Other policemen could not reach his vehicle due to heavy stone pelting.
The officer said 17 Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) and seven local policemen have received injuries in the incidents of stone-pelting and 10 RAC companies have been deployed in the area.
Police have also stepped up security at the deceased SHO's house here as a precautionary measure. Relatives and others have started to assemble at Mohammad's residence at Jhotwara locality in the city.
Meanwhile, the state Home Minister Shanti Dhariwal held a meeting with DGP HC Meena and other senior officials.
"We reviewed the situation and all the efforts are being made to maintain law and order situation and communal harmony," Dhariwal told reporters after the meeting.
The state government gave the Mohammad the status of martyr and announced a compensation package of Rs 25 cash to his family, free education to his children, government job to one of his dependents, a house under Medium Income Group category, an official said.
A school will also be named after Phool Mohammad whose funeral will take place with state honour.
The government also suspended circle officer Sawai Madhopur Mahendra Singh and also announced a financial assistant of Rs 1 lakh and free treatment for Siraz, who was injured in police firing.
Meanwhile, the police said the man who jumped from the water tank had also set himself on fire before jumping from there. As soon as he hit the ground, policemen doused the fire but soon he died.
Gehlot returned to Jaipur from New Delhi to review the situation and held a meeting with the the home minister Shanti Dhariwal and senior officials.
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