Killing of Babu Lal Vaishnav

In October 2020, Babu Lal Vaishnav, a 50-year-old Hindu temple priest, was killed in Bukna village, Rajasthan. He was allegedly burnt alive by Kailash Meena after Vaishnav tried to stop Meena from trespassing on land belonging to the village temple.

Vaishnav held approximately 5.2 acres of land granted to him by the Radha Krishna temple trust under a "Mandir Mafi" arrangement, tied to his priestly duties. He had planned to build a house on the land and had it leveled with an earth-mover to begin construction. The dominant Meena community in the area disputed his claim and asserted the land as their own. The dispute was brought before village elders, who ruled in favor of Vaishnav. Despite this, the accused, Kailash Meena, began building his own hut on the land the priest had leveled, which led to a confrontation. Before dying, the priest stated that six people, including Kailash Meena, poured petrol on him and set him on fire.

The main accused, Kailash Meena, was arrested by the Rajasthan police within 24 hours of the incident. Following the killing, the priest's family members demanded compensation of Rs 50 lakh and a government job, and refused to cremate the body until their demands were met.

The incident drew political reactions. The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, stated that those responsible would not be spared. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that "law and order have gone for a toss in Rajasthan." BJP MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore criticized the Congress government in Rajasthan, claiming that neither women nor priests were safe in the state.