JAIPUR, Dec 6: Markets were closed in Jaipur and some other Rajasthan districts and protesters blocked roads and stopped trains on Wednesday after a bandh call by the Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena over the killing of its chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi.
Governor Kalraj Mishra spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the phone and summoned the state chief secretary, home secretary, police chief and Jaipur police commissioner to review the law and order situation in the state.
The police set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe into the killing of the Rajput leader who was shot dead by two men at his house here on Tuesday. They also killed an “accomplice” who had accompanied them to the house.
On Facebook, gangster Rohit Godara — said to be linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang — has claimed responsibility and said Gogamedi was killed for “backing” his enemies.
The police have identified the two alleged killers as Rohit Rathore from Jaipur and Nitin Fauji from Haryana’s Mahendragarh, and announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for information leading to their arrest.
Markets remained closed in Jaipur, Kota, Bundi, Ajmer, Sawai Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Jhalawar, Baran and some other districts while a mass rally was taken out in Udaipur and a demonstration was held at the collectorate circle amid heavy deployment of police.
There was no movement of public transport in Jaipur and the services of roadways buses were also affected, officials said. Long traffic jam was witnessed at 200-foot bypass in the capital city that leads to Delhi as protesters blocked the highway.
The supporters of Gogamedi gathered in the Khatipura area here in the morning from where they moved to other parts of the city asking shopkeepers to shut their establishments.
Khatipura road in Jaipur was blocked while Rajput community members in large numbers were sitting outside the Metro Mass Hospital in the Mansarovar area where Gogamedi’s body is kept.
Similar protests took place in Jodhpur and Udaipur as well but remained peaceful. The effects of the bandh call were seen in other districts too as people refrained from venturing out.
In Kota, private schools remained closed in view of the protests.
The emergency services like medical stores and petrol pumps were exempted from the bandh, the officials said.
In view of the bandh and jam on the highways in the state, Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) stopped operating buses on many highways, a spokesperson said.
He said that RSRTC Managing Director Nathmal Didel is continuously reviewing the operation of roadways buses in view of the murder incident. He had issued instructions to all the chief managers to ensure the safety of passengers and buses by staying on the field and not operating the buses if there was any jam.
North Western Railways chief spokesperson said that five trains were stopped by protesters on Bhilwara and Jaipur route, which led to a delay in train movement ranging from 16 to 54 minutes. He said that no untoward incident was reported anywhere. Governor Kalraj Mishra summoned Chief Secretary Usha Sharma, Director General of Police Umesh Mishra, Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph and other officials to review the situation.
The SIT will be headed by Additional Director General (Crime) Dinesh MN, the officials said, adding police also carried out searches to nab the two accused.
The governor told the officials to ensure that those behind the killing are arrested soon and asked them to stay alert while asserting that no laxity at any level will be tolerated, according to a Raj Bhawan spokesperson.
Governor Kalraj Mishra said the murder in broad daylight is a serious matter.
Earlier, Jaipur Police Commissioner Joseph told PTI that the accused who shot dead Gogamedi as well as Naveen Singh Shekhawat, who accompanied them to the Rajput leader’s residence, have been identified.
“One of the accused is from Haryana and the other from Rajasthan,” he said.
Joseph said the accused secured access to Gogamedi’s house through Shekhawat.
It is a matter of investigation whether Shekhawat, who used to run a cloth shop, was aware of the intentions of the two accused, he said.
Shekhawat’s father Girdhari Singh told PTI that his son is being falsely implicated in the case. He said that he is unaware how his son came into contact with the killers and added that his son recently started property dealing work.
Meanwhile, Mahipal Singh Makrana, national president of Shri Rajput Karni Sena, demanded the removal of the state police chief for failing to provide security to Gogamedi.
“There was intelligence input about the murder of Sukhdev Gogamedi from Punjab Police but the Rajasthan Police did not provide him security. This is a clear failure of the police. The DGP should be removed and action must be taken against the negligent police officials,” he told PTI.
Makrana said there is huge resentment in the Rajput community which will be forced to hold protests across the country if the accused are not caught soon.
He said that not only the Rajput community but the ‘Sarv Samaj’ is agitated over the incident.
Gogamedi’s supporters have demanded a compensation of Rs 11 crore for the family of the slain leader.
“The incident makes it clear that there is ‘Jungle Raj’ (law of jungle) in Rajasthan. The accused should be killed in an encounter,” one of the protesters said. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
