Rajasthan: Man thrashed for 'raising water problem'; Cong alleges attack on democracy

Jaipur, Sep 16 (PTI) A 20-year-old man was seriously injured after being attacked by a group of men at Kapasan in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh district for allegedly flagging water problems in the area, police said on Tuesday. According to police, Suraj Mal, who works at a factory in Singhpur, was returning home on his motorcycle on Monday evening when a Scorpio intercepted him between Kankariya and Goraji villages.

“Some men got down from the vehicle and attacked Suraj Mal with sticks and iron rods in which he sustained serious injuries on both his legs. The attackers fled from the spot after the assault," Kapasan DSP Harji Lal Yadav said.

Locals rushed Suraj Mal to a hospital in Kapasan, from where he was first referred to Chittorgarh and then to Udaipur in a critical condition, the DSP said.

Police said the exact motive behind the attack will be clear after recording the victim's statement. Preliminary information suggests that Suraj Mal recently uploaded videos on social media demanding water to be filled in the Rajeshwar reservoir in Kapasan, which went viral. Terming the attack an assault on democracy, the Congress claimed it was carried out as Suraj Mal raised water problems in the area.

In a post on X, Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully claimed Suraj Mal was thrashed for reminding the local BJP MLA of his promise on the water issue.

"In Kapasan, a young man was brutally beaten for reminding a BJP MLA of his promise regarding the water problem. Both legs were broken by 6-7 thugs. This is not an isolated incident, but a sign of the terrifying trend being established in the state. This was not an attack on one young man, but an attack on the voice of democracy,” Jully said. Jully also alleged that under the BJP in Rajasthan, problems are neither being solved nor is justice delivered, even as the “poor, exploited, deprived and common people continue to be suppressed and oppressed”. PTI AG ARI ARI