The Bharatiya Janata Party workers are expected to hold a protest in Jaipur on Saturday, a day after Rajasthan police removed the widows of the three CRPF jawans killed in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack from the site.
The women were observing an indefinite hunger strike outside Congress leader Sachin Pilot’s house in Jaipur, seeking jobs for families and other government benefits. The protesters were shifted to hospitals near their respective residential areas.
BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena, who was on his way to Chomu town to meet one of the widows, was stopped by police mid-way. He alleged he was manhandled and detained by them. Meena was admitted to a government hospital in Govindgarh after the incident and later referred to SMS Hospital in Jaipur owing to his health.
The ‘Manhandling’ Incident
“The police tried to kill me, but I was saved by the blessings of the widows of martyrs, the youth, the unemployed and the poor. I am hurt. I have been referred to Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur from Govindgarh hospital," Meena said in a tweet.
Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore and former minister Arun Chaturvedi met Meena at the hospital. On Friday morning, Meena went to SEZ police station, where the supporters of the three widows were initially kept, and said the government will not be able to suppress their voice.
“Why is the government so afraid of 3 women warriors that the police picked them up overnight. Don’t know where they have been taken? The women are only pleading to meet the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot ji. Why is the chief minister so nervous to hear them?” Meena told reporters.
“I was going to visit Samod Balaji with my supporters, but Samod police stopped me and abused and manhandled me. Is standing with the wives of martyrs such a big crime that the @ashokgehlot51 government is behaving like this with a people’s representative?” Meena tweeted.
The police action against the widows happened around 3 am when Meena had gone to his residence, one of his close aides said.
Why Are Women Protesting in Jaipur
The widows have been protesting since February 28 and launched an indefinite hunger strike six days ago, demanding a change in rules so that their relatives and not just children can get government jobs on compassionate grounds. Their other demands include construction of roads and installation of statues of the martyrs in their villages.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot responded to the demands, asking on Twitter whether it would be “appropriate” to give jobs to other relatives of the martyred jawans instead of their children.
“What will happen to the children of the martyr when they grow up? Is it appropriate to trample upon their rights?” he asked.
Reaction from BJP
BJP leader Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore slammed the Congress government in Rajasthan for not handling the issue adequately. “The first thing that comes here is the behaviour. Why doesn’t the CM want to meet the family? People go ahead and meet such families, but here the Chief Minister does not want to meet them. They were removed from the dharna site. All kinds of tricks were forced on 10 people. They were picked up in the middle of the night and taken away from there", said Rathore.
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