Explained: The Bharatpur encounter case that forced a Rajasthan CM to step down

On February 21, 1985, Man Singh, an independent MLA from Deeg, was killled in a police encounter, a day after he crashed his jeep into the helicopter of then Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Shiv Charan Mathur in a fit of rage.

A court in Mathura pronounced its verdict on the 1985 Bharatpur encounter case on Tuesday, convicting 11 police personnel under IPC sections 148, 149 and 302 for the murder of Man Singh, an erstwhile member of Bharatpur royal family and former MLA. The court also acquitted three people. Some of the accused had also died by the time the verdict was announced, 35 years after the incident.

The case was investigated by the CBI and transferred out of Rajasthan to Mathura on the plea of Singh’s daughter Krishnendra Kaur Deepa, former BJP MP and ex-tourism minister of Rajasthan. After the verdict in Mathura, Deepa told reporters she is happy that justice has been served after 35 years.

What is the Bharatpur encounter case?

On February 21, 1985, Man Singh, an independent MLA from Deeg, was killed in a police encounter, a day after he crashed his jeep into the helicopter of then Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Shiv Charan Mathur in a fit of rage. As a result of the outrage over Singh’s death, Mathur had to resign as chief minister.

What was the prelude to the incident?

Traditionally, royal families in Rajasthan had remained at loggerheads with the Congress party, which governed the country for most of the decades after independence. Many erstwhile scions of royal families ended up contesting elections either as independents or under banners of outfits such as the Jan Sangh and Ram Rajya Parishad.

Man Singh, the son of former King of Bharatpur Kishan Singh was a seven-time independent legislator from Deeg Assembly constituency. In 1985, the Congress had fielded retired bureaucrat Brijendra Singh against Man Singh.

After Congress workers allegedly tore and vandalised posters of Man Singh, the latter, in a fit of rage broke the stage where then chief minister Mathur was going to hold a meeting. He also damaged the Chief Minister’s helicopter after crashing his jeep into it.

The next day, on February 21, Singh, who was going to his constituency, where a curfew had been imposed, when he was shot dead by police personnel in an alleged encounter. Two other men were also lost their lives. In the aftermath, the police personnel involved in the encounter were booked for the murder of Singh and others.

Who are the other members of the Bharatpur royal family in politics?

Man Singh’s daughter Krishnendra Kaur Deepa was a minister in the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in Rajasthan while his nephew Vishvendra Singh was formerly in the BJP and now incumbent Congress MLA from Deeg-Kumher constituency. The son of Man Singh’s elder brother Brijendra Singh, Vishvendra is the titular king of Bharatpur and also one of the 18 Congress MLAs who have sided with former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. Vishvendra was recently suspended from primary membership of the Congress after the party accused him of conspiring to topple the Gehlot government.

Bharatpur and Dholpur were the only two former princely states in Rajasthan which were ruled by Jat rulers. The royal family of Bharatpur is known to command significant clout and influence in the district and its adjacent regions, particularly among the Jat community. The descendents of Maharaja Suraj Mal, the famous 18th century Jat ruler who stood up against the Mughals, multiple members of the family are active in contemporary politics.