Tension boiled over outside the Hamirwas police station in Rajasthan's Churu district on Monday, as villagers who had been camped outside for two days lost patience and laid siege to the station. A scuffle broke out between the crowd and police personnel, forcing officers to resort to a lathicharge to bring the situation under control. Several villagers and a few policemen suffered minor injuries in the chaos, prompting authorities to deploy a heavy police contingent in the area.
Woman vanished from Kanawasi village, police still empty-handed
The unrest traces back to Kanawasi village in the Sadulpur assembly segment, where a young woman went missing under circumstances that remain unclear. Despite several days passing since she disappeared, the local police have neither traced her whereabouts nor managed to apprehend the people suspected of being involved. This slow pace of investigation had already left villagers seething, and their frustration spilled onto the streets two days earlier when they launched an indefinite sit-in outside the Hamirwas police station. Their demand was singular: recover the missing woman without further delay and arrest everyone connected to her disappearance.
Former MLA Krishna Poonia joins the protest
Former MLA Krishna Poonia arrived at the protest site to back the villagers' cause. She sharply questioned the police administration's handling of the case, saying, "A daughter is missing and the police are sitting idle, this is deeply shameful." She told the officers present in no uncertain terms that the villagers' agitation would continue until the missing woman is safely recovered and strict legal action is taken against the guilty. A large number of local Congress workers and residents from nearby areas stood alongside her outside the station in a show of solidarity.
Patience runs out, siege turns violent, police wield lathis
The sit-in, which had remained peaceful for two days, turned volatile on Monday. As the morning wore on, the villagers' patience gave way and they surrounded the Hamirwas police station in anger. Scuffles broke out between police personnel and protesters near the main gate. As things spiralled out of control and the crowd tried to cross barricades to force its way into the station premises, police ultimately resorted to force to restore order. The lathicharge triggered stampede-like scenes outside the station, leaving several villagers and a few policemen with minor injuries.
Administration scrambles to calm tempers as tension lingers
Following the clash and lathicharge, political and administrative activity has picked up pace across the Sadulpur area. Senior police officers are camping at the spot and keeping a close watch on the situation. The administration has once again begun efforts to reason with villagers and public representatives in a bid to prevent tensions from escalating further. The mood outside the station remains tense for now, even though it is no longer as volatile as it was earlier in the day. Villagers, meanwhile, have issued a clear warning that if the missing woman is not traced soon, they will intensify their agitation even further.
