Man tortured to death in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu

District police superintendent Rajarshi Raj Verma said that the incident took place on May 14 and the accused were arrested within 48 hours

Six people, including a minor, allegedly tortured a 25-year-old man to death in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu last week, a police officer said on Wednesday.

A purported video of the incident showed the accused tied Valmiki with a rope. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

District police superintendent Rajarshi Raj Verma said the incident took place on May 14 and five accused, who worked at a liquor shop, of murdering Rameswar Valmiki were arrested within 48 hours. “...another minor accused was also detained. We have transferred the case for a speedy trial.”

Police said Valmiki worked at a local cowshed. “The six suspected that Valmiki was linked to a local illegal liquor mafia that might affect their business. They had an argument before the six attacked him on May 14 when he was returning home from a vegetable market”

He added three of the six accused, Sinitiya Meghwal, Praveen Meghwal, and Subhash Babariya, abducted Valmiki and another person. “They took them to a desolate place where three other accused Deependra Rajput, Satish Meghwal, and Praveen Sumer, also joined them.”

A purported video of the incident showed the accused tied Valmiki with a rope and started beating him with a rod. ”They tortured Valmiki for hours..the accused left his body near his house.” Verma said the accused shot the videos of the incident that went viral on social media on Tuesday.

The accused have been booked under the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 302 (murder), 365 (abduction), and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. In a post in Hindi on X, Gehlot said crimes against Dalits have increased after the BJP returned to power. “The Rajasthan government, which is busy in image-making in the media, should take these incidents seriously and work to ensure that they are not repeated.”

BJP leader Rajendra Rathore blamed the previous Congress government for increasing incidents of atrocities against Dalits. “They are the result of poor law and order situation during the Congress rule...”

Police maintained Valmiki’s murder has no caste angle as four of the accused are also Dalits.