Nat'l ST panel finds SDM guilty of 'forcing' voters in Raj bypolls

Jaipur: A committee authorised by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) to investigate allegations of voter coercion in the Nov 2024 Deoli-Uniyara bypolls has found area magistrate Amit Chaudhary guilty of ‘forcing' and ‘threatening' voters to exercise their franchise in the bypolls.

The incident involved independent candidate Naresh Meena slapping Chaudhary following accusations of voter manipulation, which resulted in police action against villagers and subsequent violence. The committee advised disciplinary measures against administrative and police personnel under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Led by Nirupam Chakma, the six-member NCST committee examined the ‘Samraota slapgate case' after the bypolls. Their findings, presented to the Rajasthan govt, criticised both Chaudhary's behaviour and the police response to the incident. The committee visited the site on Jan 13 and 14, 2025. The committee's comprehensive 23-page document outlines the sequence of events, Chaudhary's behaviour, and subsequent police intervention after Meena slapped Chaudhary during polling at Samraota village.

While condemning the assault and terming it ‘inappropriate', the committee also found evidence of Chaudhary compelling voters.

The report indicates that police carried out retaliatory action against villagers following the incident. It documents claims of police brutality and fabricated cases against local residents. "In this case, the commission feels that if the independent candidate had been arrested during the day instead of at night, the situation would not have deteriorated unnecessarily," the committee observed. "The commission also feels that this was probably an act of revenge. There was no need to use excessive force on the people of the entire village just for arresting Naresh Meena," it added.

"The justification of such immediate retaliatory action is also not clear. Therefore, administrative action/warning should be given to all the concerned officers of the district administration. Action should be taken under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 against the police officers and administrative personnel guilty of using excessive force against innocent villagers, especially women, children and the elderly. Compensation and legal aid should be provided to the victims of police atrocities," it observed.

Following Meena's detention after the assault, villagers secured his release. Violent encounters between the police and villagers occurred that night and the next day, causing injuries to both parties.

The NCST stipulated that disciplinary proceedings against administrative and police officers involved in the incident should commence within 30 days of submission. The report was submitted to chief secretary Sudhansh Pant, DGP UR Sahoo, and tribal area development secretary, Ashutosh Pednekar.

Before the investigation, NCST issued notices to the chief secretary, DGP, and Tonk district magistrate. A separate notice was sent to Tonk SP on Dec 4, 2024, seeking factual details. The committee's report followed these preliminary enquiries. The Rajasthan govt is yet to respond to the report's findings.