A 38-year-old man died by suicide in Jaipur, triggering a political slugfest after he accused Congress Cabinet Minister Mahesh Joshi and a few other people of creating problems for his family in connection with the land dispute and blamed them for his extreme step in a recorded video.
BJP leaders in the state demanded Joshi's resignation over the issue and a high-level inquiry into the same.
Ramprasad Meena, 38, hanged himself on Monday in a godown over an alleged land dispute. The family had refused to hand over the body to police for post-mortem examination unless the accused are arrested but they agreed for it on Thursday.
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Sachin Pilot, who is involved in a tussle for power with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in the state unit of the Congress, demanded an impartial and time-bound probe in the case after meeting the family members at the dharna site near their home. He also talked to Kirodi Lal Meena during his visit.
"A person from the ST community has died by suicide. It is a shock if someone's life is lost. It is a very heart-wrenching incident. I talked to his father, brother and son, and they have said several things," Pilot told reporters.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena is sitting on a dharna with the family. He said the Meena community will collect a sum of Rs 50 lakh and will give it to the family members.
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Allegations
Kirori Lal Meena said Ramprasad Meena had gone to meet Joshi after his family did not get help from anywhere. He added that the family members told him the minister insulted and pushed them.
"Due to the minister's torture, he became depressed and embraced death," the BJP leader alleged. Joshi, the local MLA (from Hawa Mahal seat), denied the allegations, saying he did not misbehave with the family when they had come to meet him on April 13.
Earlier in the day, Congress MLA Harish Meena, considered close to Pilot, also met the family members. Pilot held a day-long fast in Jaipur last week alleging inaction by the Gehlot government on complaints of alleged corruption during the previous Vasundhara Raje dispensation.
(With inputs from PTI)
