The Rajasthan Police on Tuesday intensified their search for Naresh Meena, chief of the Bhagat Singh Sena and a prominent farmer leader, in connection with the alleged attack on the Forest Department's range office in Nahargarh town of Baran district, raiding his ancestral residence in Nayagaon in the early hours. Meena was not present at the house and the police team returned empty-handed.

Source: IANS via The Freedom Press

Acting on the directions of Baran Superintendent of Police Abhishek Andasu, a special police team was constituted to apprehend Meena. It included Atru Circle Officer Ramanand Yadav, Mothpur SHO Kamal Singh, Baran Sadar SHO Nawalkishore Meena and personnel from the District Special Team (DST). Police officials said efforts were under way to identify and apprehend others involved in allegedly vandalising government property, obstructing government officials from performing their duties and threatening forest personnel. All allegations in the case are yet to be tried.

Source: Nation Press

Meena announces surrender on November 6

After the raid, Meena posted on social media claiming that police had reached his residence at 5 a.m. to arrest him, and announced that he will surrender at the Nahargarh police station on November 6 at 5 p.m. In the same post, he appealed to voters in Rajasthan to move beyond the Congress and the BJP and support what he described as a Third Front, urging support for the BSP, the RLP and strong Independent candidates, and for Left candidates in Sikar. His announcement comes amid heightened political activity in the state ahead of the ongoing Panchayati Raj elections.

The November 1 forest office incident

The case stems from an incident on November 1, when Pradeep Singh Rathore, in charge of the Nahargarh forest check-post, along with a forest guard and other personnel, seized a generator allegedly being used for an illegal tubewell on forest land in Jhiri Tapra and brought it to the range office. According to the allegations, Naresh Meena then arrived at the office with hundreds of supporters, who allegedly threatened to set the premises on fire, assaulted forest personnel, tore badges and nameplates from their uniforms, damaged official documents including the seizure panchnama, and took away the confiscated generator in a mini transport vehicle.

Nahargarh SHO Vivek Harsana said police arrested four persons on Monday in connection with the incident; they were produced before a court and sent to jail. The arrested accused are Jitendra Nagar (36) of Nahargarh, Devendra Kushwaha (22) of Balapura, Pappu Bhil (25) of Lakdai and Murari Gurjar (20) of Murari. Police said efforts are continuing to apprehend the remaining accused, including Meena, whom they describe as the main suspect.

Source: Daily Kiran