Police Constable Stabbed to Death in Rajasthan's Tonk

New Delhi: A police constable was stabbed to death by seven-eight assailants in the Tonk district of Rajasthan on Friday night. According to the police, the reason for the murder has not yet been established.

“7-8 accused caught the constable Mukesh Chaudhary in Mahandwas area last night and stabbed him.

Chaudhary was posted in police lines,” police sources told PTI.

In a span of two weeks, this is the second reported incident of a policeman being killed by a mob in Rajasthan.

While four of the assailants were identified as Sitaram Yadav, Rajraj Yadav, Babulal Jat, Pokar Mali, the identity of the others is yet unknown. An FIR was registered against the four identified persons and three-four unindenitified persons.

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Tonk circle officer Ramkhyal Meena said that Chaudhary’s body was handed over to family members and the matter is under investigation. “Efforts to arrest the accused are being made,” the officer said.

On July 13, head constable Abdul Gani was attacked by a mob in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district. Gani was posted at the Bhim police station and went to the Hamela ki Ber village while investigating a land dispute case. A mob attacked him with sticks after an argument over encroachment, and the head constable sustained grievous injuries. He succumbed to the injuries in a hospital in the Bhim area.

Earlier this month, the Rajasthan government announced its intention to legislate a special Act to curb mob lynchings and caste-based “honour killings”. In the state’s budget session, chief minister Ashok Gehlot expressed concern over the rising incidents of mob lynching. The chief minister’s statement came in the immediate aftermath of the killing of head constable Gani.

Recently, a report submitted by the UP State Law Commission noted that mobs were now turning on police personnel too. Referring to the killing of inspector Subodh Singh on December 3, 2018, in a clash between police and Hindutva groups in Bulandshahr, the commission’s chairman said “people have started thinking of them [police] as their enemy”. The commission recommended a separate law with stringent provisions to tackle the menace of mob lynchings.

The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Centre and 10 state governments over an allegation that they had not implemented a slew of directions it had issued last year to curb mob lynchings and cow vigilantism. Rajasthan was one of the states that was asked to respond by the apex court.