Rajasthan: Former MLA Rajawat sentenced to three years in jail for slapping forest officer

On Thursday, The Kota court sentenced BJP leader and former MLA Bhawani Singh Rajawat and his associate Mahavir Suman to three years in jail for slapping Kota District Forest Officer Ravi Meena and vandalizing the office in Rajasthan. The incident took place in 2022.

The SC/ST court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on each convict, holding them guilty under relevant sections including IPC section 353 (assault or criminal force to prevent a public servant from discharging his duty), a government prosecutor said. Speaking to the media after his conviction, Rajawat said he would appeal against the conviction in the high court. He further said that he has been acquitted of the charges under section 3 of the SC/ST Act.

On March 31, 2022, a case was registered at Nayapura police station against Rajawat and Suman under sections 332, 353, 34 of the IPC and section 3(2) of the SC/ST Act on a complaint by then Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Ravi Kumar Meena. It was alleged that Rajawat along with his supporters barged into the DCF's office where they protested against stopping the repair work of a temple and slapped the DCF.

However, the police had arrested Bhavani Rajawat and Suman and the former MLA had to remain behind bars in judicial custody for 10 days before he got bail from the Rajasthan High Court. The incident had been captured through a video clip which then went viral on social networking sites, and showed the Rajawat slapping the DCF with his left hand.

Notably, the incident is in 2022. Annoyed locals had gone to protest at the forest department office regarding not having a patchwork of the road leading to Dhadh Devi Mata temple in Kota. Meena had stopped the patch work on the ground that it is a forest land. Then Rajawat reached the Meena office with his supporters. Meena alleged that Rajawat slapped him besides using casteist slurs and abusing him.