JAIPUR: Three men accused of harassing a tea vendor who died by suicide in Jaipur have been arrested, police said on Thursday amid a continuing protest by his family who have refused to hand over the body to the police for post-mortem examination unless the accused are arrested.
In a video message which he recorded before the suicide, the tea vendor said the Jaipur heritage municipal corporation sent him a notice and stopped construction work on his house, saying it was illegal. He also named blamed Rajasthan minister Mahesh Joshi and six others, Devendra Sharma, Lalit Sharma, Rakesh Tak, owner of Royal Sheraton hotel, Manuji Tak, Dev Awasthi and Lalchand Devnani.
Police said Rakesh Tak, Dev Awasthi and Lalchand Devnani have been arrested.
But the family members, who have received support from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, have not relented and continued with their protest at Chandi ki Taksal area of the walled city for the fourth day. On Thursday, police commissioner Anand Srivastav also held talks with the family members..
BJP MP Kirordi Lal Meena, who has been sitting with the family, said it was unfortunate that the Gehlot government hadnтАЩt acted against all the accused. The dharna will continue till the family gets justice, he said.
The government has handed over the case to the CID CB which has recorded statements of the family members of the deceased.
On Thursday, Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who skipped the Congress partyтАЩs meetings with MLAs, reached Jaipur from Delhi and went to the dharna site where he met the family members of the deceased. Earlier in the day, Congress MLA Harish Meena, considered close to Pilot, also visited the dharna site.
RajasthanтАЩs Aam Aadmi party chief Naveen Paliwal and BSP state president Bhagwan Baba also met family members.
Sachin Pilot, who is involved in a tussle for power with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in the state unit of the Congress, demanded an impartial and time-bound probe in the case after meeting the family members at the dharna site near their home, said a PTI report. He also talked to Kirodi Lal Meena during his visit.
тАЬA person from the ST community has died by suicide. It is a shock if someoneтАЩs life is lost. It is a very heart-wrenching incident. I talked to his father, brother and son, and they have said several things,тАЭ Pilot told reporters.
тАЬThe victimтАЩs family should get justice. Justice should not be delayed and justice should also be visible,тАЭ he said.
Asked about the family members talking about an atmosphere of fear, Pilot said, тАЬThe family is speaking, so there must be pressure. I do not understand why the delay is happening? There are proofs coming up. If the action is seen, then it will generate confidence in them,тАЭ he said.
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