One person shot dead in land dispute between two groups in Ajmer district

Villagers set a backhoe loader on fire during a dispute over land in Ajmer on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: PTI

One person was shot dead and another injured in a violent clash between two groups over the construction of a shop on a piece of land reportedly belonging to a students’ hostel at Rupangarh in Ajmer district on Sunday (September 22, 2024). One of the two sides allegedly opened fire after a half-an-hour long fight with sticks and rods.

There was opposition to the shop’s construction, with one group alleging that the sarpanch had wrongfully issued the lease deed for the land, situated at a prime location adjacent to the State highway, which was originally registered in the name of the Shwetambar Jain students’ hostel. However, the local Jain community distanced itself from the dispute.

The dispute escalated on Sunday, when the members of one group arrived at the site with the construction material and excavator machines. Both the sides attacked each other and an unidentified person from one group opened fire, resulting in the death of a young man and causing injuries to a person belonging to the other group.

The deceased was identified as Shakeel Langa, while the injured, Narayan Kumawat, first admitted to the government hospital in Kishangarh, was later referred in a serious condition to Jawaharlal Nehru Government Hospital in Ajmer.

Police said several vehicles were vandalised and an excavator machine was set on fire during the clash. The incident led to tension in the region, as the markets were closed and additional security forces were deployed in the town. The police have launched a manhunt to apprehend those involved in the violence.

Ajmer Range Inspector-General of Police Om Prakash said one person had been rounded up in connection with the incident and the raids were being conducted at the suspected hideouts of the accused persons.

Congress leader Ajmer Dharmendra Singh Rathore criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party government over the incident, saying the land mafia had been emboldened because of the “weak administration” in the State, which had lost control of the law and order situation. Mr. Rathore, the former chairperson of the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, said the morale of criminals was high under the BJP rule.