Rajputs call off stir as govt agrees to CBI probe in gangster Anandpal’s death

Ahead of BJP president Amit Shah’s three-day Rajasthan visit, the state government appeared to be bending backwards to placate the Rajputs who threatened to launch an agitation over gangster Anandpal Singh’s police encounter.

On Tuesday, the Raje government agreed to a seven-point demand, including CBI investigation, into the police encounter and subsequent violence that left a Rajput man dead.

Shah will be in Jaipur from July 21 to 23.

The Rajputs, following the agreement with the government, have called off their Jaipur March scheduled for July 22.

The move is a major climbdown for the state government as only a few days ago, state home minister Gulab Chand Kataria had asked, “How can I order CBI probe against the force that I head?”

On Tuesday, he said the U-turn was due to the situation developing in the state.

“After a meeting with government negotiators (Kataria, rural development minister Rajendra Rathore and state BJP president Ashok Parnami), we have reached agreement on seven points, so we are calling off the agitation for now,” Rajput Sabha president Giriraj Singh Lotwara told reporters.

Another major demand the government has agreed to is recommending CBI inquiry into the death of Surendra Singh who was killed after protests turned violent in Anandpal’s native village Sanvrad on July 12.

Other demands included removing roadblocks in visit of Anandpal’s Dubai-based daughter to India, providing a copy of the post-mortem report to Anandpal’s family, granting compensation to the injured in Sanvrad clash and allowing family of Sharavan Singh, who had sheltered Anandpal, to lead a normal life.

The BJP was facing internal dissent with some senior party leaders belonging to Rajput community openly criticising the police for what they called mishandling of the situation.

BJP MLA Narpat Singh Rajvi had written to Shah accusing the Rajasthan police of acting arbitrarily against the Rajputs.