Rajasthan: MLA who ‘beat up’ activists named in 20 criminal cases/

Indian Express: Jaipur: Friday, 05 February 2016.

Kanwar Lal, BJP MLA from Aklera who allegedly beat up members of a civil society group during an accountability march last month, has 20 criminal cases registered against him at two police stations in his constituency. He was also arrested once.

Of  these, in nine investigations, most involving breaking into houses and tearing up copies of a religious book, his name was later removed, six are pending in courts, one is being investigated by CID-CB, one pending permission for prosecution with state government and in one he was fined Rs 1,000.

Aklera falls under Jhalawar, the parliamentary constituency of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s son Dushyant Singh.

In his 2013 election affidavit, Lal had listed only five cases against himself, declaring he has not been convicted in any case.

However, police records accessed by Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) under RTI Act show that the MLA has at least 20 criminal cases against him.

“Some cases are still going on but I have been acquitted in most. All of these are political cases. I won’t lie in my election affidavit,” Lal said.

On the latest incident, he said, “even before my video went ‘viral’, I had maintained that yes, I did go to the spot, but only to mediate. I had received calls from the locals and, being the local MLA, reached there with police.”

The MLA came under the spotlight on January 16, when social activists Nikhil Dey and Aruna Roy of MKSS alleged that the MLA had launched an unprovoked attack against its members assembled in Aklera as part of a 100-day state-wide Jawabdehi or accountability yatra.

A purported video recording of the incident released by MKSS shows the MLA brandishing a lathi and swinging it with full force against a group of people identified as civil society activists. “Despite being clearly visible in the video attacking people, he has still not been arrested,” said Nikhil Dey of MKSS.

“There are nearly two dozen cases registered against him. Any other person with such a record would have been declared a history sheeter. Yet, the BJP gave him a ticket to contest the polls,” said Roy.