The ongoing protest against illegal stone mining in the hills near Deeg in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district took on a turn on Wednesday when a monk immolated himself as part of the demonstrations. The man, identified as Vijay Das, was rushed to Jaipur in a critical condition, having sustained 80% burns.
A second monk, Narayan Das, climbed up a mobile phone tower to register his protest. He was said to be in a state of shock when he descended after the incident.
BJP State president Satish Poonia, who met Vijay Das at Sawai Man Singh Government Hospital here, said the Congress government had failed to stop illegal mining in a region of religious significance despite strong resentment among the local people. He said the self-immolation of the seer had exposed the government’s “obstinate stance” of not resolving the long-pending issues.
