Jaipur
Ravindra Singh Bhati, the Independent MLA from Sheo in Rajasthan and Lok Sabha candidate from Barmer, led a gherao of the Superintendent of Police (SP) office in Balotra on Saturday. He was joined by thousands of supporters, alleging police misconduct and irregularities during Friday’s polling.
Bhati, who won the Sheo Assembly seat as an Independent after being denied a BJP ticket, is competing against Union Minister Kailash Chaudhary (BJP) and Umedaram Beniwal (Congress) in Barmer. On Saturday, he and his supporters demanded action against the police for allegedly assaulting his supporters and called for the release of those detained during Friday’s polling.
Bhati shared a photo with his supporters gathered outside the SP office and criticized the police for biased behavior. He claimed that the police had arrested innocent people while ignoring reports of election irregularities. Bhati said he had submitted a list to the police, warning of potential issues at certain polling booths, but no action was taken.
He accused the administration and police of working together to allow irregularities during the elections, undermining democratic norms. To prevent any unrest, a large police presence was deployed in front of the SP office while Balotra SP Kundan Kanwaria invited Bhati inside for talks. Bhati’s supporters indicated that they would decide on ending the gherao after the discussions concluded.
