Not just Meena, there is a long list of leaders slapped in Rajasthan.
Naresh Meena, an independent candidate from Deoli-Uniara seat, slapped SDM Amit Chaudhary during the Rajasthan by-election polls. Now, the slapping incident is making headlines across Rajasthan politics. While questions have been raised about police work style in the crackdown on SDM, the government has been accused of negligence in arresting Naresh Meena. The incident of slapping Amit Chaudhary also turned into a caste dispute. Chaudhary is from the Jat community while Naresh belongs to the Meena community.
However, this is not the first case in Rajasthan politics where a leader has been accused of slapping or assaulting an official. After 2010, there have been many cases in Rajasthan politics where leaders beat officials to improve their image.
Read more about these leaders in this story…
Kirori Lal Meena is the first name in the list
In 2011, then Dausa MP Kirori Lal Meena slapped a policeman. In fact, Kirori wanted to meet with the magistrate to discuss a matter. Meanwhile, the police refused to let them go.
Initially, Kirori got into an argument with the officer, but when the matter did not resolve, he slapped the officer. In this case, a case was registered against Kirori Lal, who was arrested and jailed.
After Chiroli was jailed, his supporters took to the streets. The then Ashok Gehlot government released Kirori after weighing the political gains and losses.
Kirori Lal Meena is currently a senior minister in Bhajanlal Sharma’s government. He is considered one of the important leaders of the Meena community in the state.
Taking bribes angered CP and slapped him in the face
In November 2022, former Bharatiya Janata Party president CP Joshi, who was angry over taking bribes, also slapped a government employee. In fact, the then Chittorgarh MP CP got information that an employee of the Narcotics Control Bureau was demanding bribe.
CP was angry about this and slapped the employee. CP has received a lot of criticism on this matter. However, no major punitive action was taken against them.
Chandna’s name was also among those who were slapped.
In 2018, Ashok Chandna, Sports Minister of the Government of Rajasthan, was accused of assaulting JP Meena, a power department official. According to Meena, Chandna slapped her unnecessarily. At that time, the matter had acquired great political importance.
In fact, Chandana was angry over the appointment of an employee of the power department in his district. Chandner said the employee was not doing his job properly, but department officials did not want to fire him.
This incident also occurred in the form of Meena v. Gurjar case in the State of Rajasthan. However, the then Ashok Gehlot government handled it well.
Dindoor assaults government doctor
In January 2021, Ram Prasad Dindore, the then BTP MLA from Sagwara, slapped a government doctor during a hospital examination. Dindor said the doctors were not working properly and he kept receiving complaints.
The case became so public that the then Gehlot government had to hand over the investigation to the CID-CB. However, no punitive action can be taken against Tindor. The reason for this is the politics of Rajasthan. Dindor later supported the Gehlot government.
Malinga breaks Dalit officer’s bones
In 2022, then MP Girraj Mallinga was accused of assaulting a Dalit official in the power department. Power department official Harshapati Valmiki alleged that Malinga and his supporters severely beat him over an incident.
A case was also registered but the then Ashok Gehlot government did not take any action against Malinga. However, when the matter reached the top command, Malikajun Haq disqualified Malinga from contesting the 2023 elections, and an angry Malinga joined the BJP.
