4 murders on Rajasthan CM's turf; BJP ups ante

New Delhi, July 19

Four brutal murders, including that of a six-month-old girl in Jodhpur, raised political temperatures in election-bound Rajasthan on Wednesday with the Opposition BJP demanding stern action against the perpetrators and accusing Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of failing to address the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

Four family members were killed in the wee hours of Wednesday in Cheria village of Osian, 50 km from Jodhpur, the home turf of CM Ashok Gehlot.

The Jodhpur police said that angered over a land dispute, 19-year-old Pappuram entered the victims’ house around 4 am, axed family’s head Poonaram (60), his wife Bhanwari (55) daughter-in-law Dahpu (23) to death and then set them ablaze. He hurled the infant alive into the fire. Pappuram, victim Poonaram’s nephew, is under arrest, SP Jodhpur Rural Dharmendra Singh Yadav said with ADG (Crime) Dinesh MN tasked to monitor the case.

Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi today said the state government would make a statement in the House on the crime.

The BJP slammed the ruling Congress for the rising crime graph with Union Law Minister and Bikaner MP Arjun Ram Meghwal describing the Osian crime as “brutal beyond words”.

“Rajasthan Congress MLA Divya Maderna today released a video saying she has police protection and yet she had been attacked. But the IG does not act. What kind of pressures are these?” asked Meghwal.