Rajasthan Police Intensifies Search for Farmer Leader Naresh Meena Following Forest Office Attack

Nahargarh, November 3 (Daily Kiran) : Rajasthan police have escalated their search for Naresh Meena, a prominent farmer leader and head of the Bhagat Singh Army, following an alleged attack on the forest department’s range office in Nahargarh, Baran district. Early Tuesday morning, officers raided Meena’s ancestral home but found him absent and returned without any arrests.

In a social media post, Meena announced his intention to surrender at the Nahargarh police station on November 6 at 5 PM. Meanwhile, police have already arrested four other suspects connected to the incident and are actively pursuing additional leads.

Under the direction of Baran Superintendent of Police Abhishek Andasu, a special task force has been formed to capture Meena. This team includes officials from the Atru circle, the Mathpur police station, and members of the District Special Team. They arrived at Meena’s home in Nayagaon around 5 AM, but he was not present.

Authorities are working to identify and apprehend others involved in the incident, which includes charges of vandalizing government property, obstructing government employees from performing their duties, and threatening forest department staff.

Following the police raid, Meena took to social media, claiming that officers had arrived at his residence at 5 AM to arrest him. He reiterated his plan to surrender on November 6 and urged voters in Rajasthan to support a third front over the Congress and BJP. He also encouraged them to vote for the BSP’s elephant symbol, the RLP’s bottle symbol, and to back strong independent candidates, particularly leftist candidates in Sikar.

This situation unfolded amid ongoing Panchayati Raj elections in the state. The incident originated on November 1 when the forest guard Pradeep Singh Rathore, along with other staff, seized a generator allegedly being used for illegal tube wells on forest land in Jhiri Tapra.

After the generator was brought to the range office, Meena reportedly arrived with hundreds of supporters. Allegations surfaced that the crowd threatened to set fire to the premises, assaulted forest officials, and tore off their badges and nameplates. Furthermore, they allegedly damaged official documents related to the seizure and took the generator away in a mini transport vehicle, resulting in significant damage to government property. Following this, police filed a case and initiated an investigation.

Nahargarh police station chief Vivek Harsana confirmed that four individuals were arrested on Monday in connection with the incident. The arrested suspects have been identified as Jitendra Nagar (36), Devendra Kushwaha (22), Pappu Bheel (25), and Murari Gurjar (20). They have been presented in court and subsequently remanded to jail. The police are now focused on locating the main accused, Naresh Meena, and other absconding suspects.