Seer's body taken down from tree 30 hours after suicide

The body of a seer was taken down from a tree here on Saturday, 30 hours after he committed suicide on being pressured by a BJP MLA to give way through his hermitage to the land where the legislator wanted to build a resort.

The body of a seer was taken down from a tree here on Saturday, 30 hours after he committed suicide on being “pressured” by a BJP MLA to give way through his hermitage to the land where the legislator wanted to build a resort. However, seers and villager who were protesting at the suicide spot pelted police with stones after they were denied permission to bury the victim on the land belonging to Bhinmal MLA Pooraram Choudhary.

Twenty people, including two policemen, were injured in stone-pelting. Meanwhile, a three-member committee was constituted to probe into the matter.

Ravinath (60) was found hanging from a tree at Jalore’s Rajapura village on Thursday night. Seers at the hermitage did not allow police to take down the body, demanding that his suicide note’s content be disclosed first.

According to police, Ravinath has blamed the MLA in his suicide note, accusing the leader of pressuring him to give way through his hermitage to his land. Police said after the body was taken down, the protesters insisted that it be buried on the MLA’s land. But the administration refused to allow it, following which they pelted police with stones.

SDM (Jaswantpura) Rajendra Singh said the officials were in constant touch with the protesting seers.

''As far as the matter of access to the land of Choudhary through the hermitage is concerned, we will do the needful as per the rules and law,'' he said.

Earlier, the MLA had junked the allegations and said he himself had surrendered land for the hermitage of Ravinath.

''The allegations are false. I have on the contrary surrendered my land for the hermitage. I urge for a fair investigation into the matter. This appears to me a case of murder and Ravinath must get justice,'' Choudhary had said.