By Ram Kumar Kaushik
Rajasthan chief minister Gehlot thwarted the political onslaught of the opposition by visiting Ghatmika village, meeting the families of Junaid and Nasir and providing financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to each member of the families.
The visit of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to the village of Ghatmi, located in Bharatpur district's Mewat area, has sent a strong message to the opposition and protesters who had accused the government of being soft on the accused murderers of Junaid and Nasir.
Knowing that the visit to the saddened village in a politically charged area of Mewat would be emotionally challenging, Ashok Gehlot determined to meet the families of the two Muslim youths who were allegedly charred to death in a car by self-styled cow vigilantes in Haryana's Bhiwani district. Both were said to be abducted by cow activists on the suspicion of cow smuggling
During his visit on March 2, Gehlot interacted with the family members, relatives, and villagers in a tent set up for the condolence meeting and promised to personally ensure that the culprits were brought to justice. CM spoke directly to family members of Junaid including his 6 children to understand their current circumstance. He also had word with his daughter.
Chief Minister Gehlot announced financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to member of the families of deceased and promised a state government job to one person in each family. Overall, a financial assistance of Rs. 35 lakh was given to Junaid's wife and 6 children, while Rs. 10 lakh was released to Nasir's daughter and wife.
The families were overwhelmed by the Chief Minister's gesture, and expressed their gratitude for the financial assistance. Speaking to the media, Junaid's father said, “We are very grateful to Chief Minister Gehlot for his support. This will go a long way in helping our family.”
Earlier, AIMIM Chief Owaisi had visited the village and declared the deceased duo as martyrs which had further fuelled the political tension in the area. Post the peaceful last rites of Junaid and Nasir, a group started mobilising locals to stage a protest for seeking justice to the deceased families. Smelling communal political angles, the families of the deceased have shown full faith in law & order agencies of Rajasthan and alleged that the protesters were imported from outside to fuel the environment in their area. However, the protesters, sitting at the Idgah of Ghatmika village had accused the Gehlot government of not dealing tough with the BJP-led government in neighboring Haryana state, where the incident took place.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Gehlot remained calm and composed, offering words of hope and reassurance to the families. He promised them that he would personally ensure that the culprits were brought to justice, and that they would not be allowed to walk free. CM told the people present there that he was in constant touch of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and getting all help in police raids to catch the accused.
Gehlot's visit to Ghatmi was seen as a bold move by the ruling party – Congress supporters who felt that the Chief Minister's presence in the village would send a strong message to the opposition.
During this conversation he was accompanied by Ministers – Vishwendra Singh and Zahida and the top officials of the state administration- Chief Secretary Usha Shama, DGP Umesh Mishra and ADGP (Crime) Dinesh MN.
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