In a dramatic turn of events, Naresh Meena, an independent candidate in the ongoing polls in Rajasthan’s Tonk district, was arrested today after allegedly assaulting an election official. Meena’s arrest followed a violent night of protests in the village of Samravata, where his supporters clashed with police, burning vehicles and pelting stones in an attempt to prevent his arrest.

The standoff started on Wednesday when Meena slapped Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Amit Chaudhary outside a polling station. The attack, which was filmed, prompted police to arrest him. However, the attempted arrest sparked widespread rioting as hundreds of Meena’s supporters gathered to oppose the police. The rioters torched 24 large vehicles and 48 motorcycles and threw stones at officers, prompting police to use tear gas to control the crowd.

As police moved in to detain Meena early Thursday, her supporters continued their defiance by burning tires and blocking roads. According to Ajmer Range IG Om Prakash, at least 60 people have been arrested for their involvement in the unrest. Special Task Force (STF) units were deployed to restore calm and conduct search operations to identify other culprits responsible for the destruction.

Tonk Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikas Sangwan narrated the chain of events that led to the mayhem. “In Samravata village, some individuals boycotted the voting process. To address the issue, SDM Amit Chaudhary along with Tehsildar and Additional SP visited the polling station. During this time, Naresh Meena entered the area and assaulted the SDM. Officers detained him, and then voting resumed peacefully,” Sangwan explained.

Naresh Meena, who faces a total of 23 pending criminal cases, defended his actions by accusing SDM Chaudhary of earlier wrongdoing. He alleged that the SDM “attacked villagers in the locality, including a woman and her family, forcing them to vote under threats of job loss”. He also claimed that his supporters have faced ongoing harassment since October, including the vandalism of his campaign posters and attempts to disrupt turnout for him.

The violence drew criticism from the Rajasthan Administrative Service officers association, which issued a statement condemning the attack on SDM Chaudhary and supporting Meena’s arrest. As tensions persist in the area, heightened security remains in place to prevent further violence and police investigations are ongoing to bring to justice all those involved in the unrest.