Daijiworld Media Network - Jaipur

Jaipur, Oct 12: Former BJP MLA Atar Singh Bhadana died after allegedly being attacked by a group of villagers following a dispute over the reopening of a stone crusher in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district, police said on Monday.

The incident occurred on Sunday night in Bhonda village, where Bhadana had visited the crusher site. Circle Officer Neeraj Bhardwaj said Bhadana and his associate, Gagan Sharma, were allegedly attacked with sticks and stones during a confrontation.

Both sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospital. Bhadana was later referred to SMS Hospital in Jaipur, where he died during treatment. Sharma was referred to Bharatpur for further treatment.

According to police, villagers had accused Bhadana of encroaching on grazing land and engaging in illegal mining. The stone crusher had remained closed for about a year, and efforts to reopen it had reportedly triggered tensions in the area.

Villagers claimed they had been peacefully protesting against the proposed reopening of the crusher for the past 10 to 15 days. They alleged that Bhadana arrived at the site on Sunday evening with 40 to 50 people and attempted to remove them, leading to a confrontation.

Both sides have accused each other of assault. Additional police personnel have been deployed in the village to maintain law and order.

Bhardwaj said Bhadana’s body had been kept in the mortuary for a post-mortem examination.