A violent outburst shook Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district after a 20-year-old local videographer, Shambhu Singh, was allegedly shot dead by two individuals in a case of road rage. Following the incident, internet services were suspended, and the region was placed under heavy police surveillance due to escalating tensions.
According to the police, the accused travelling in a car opened fire on Singh while he was filming a wedding in Meghwal Mohalla on Thursday. Singh, who hailed from Lahasudiya village in Dug, had reportedly gotten into an argument with the car occupants after a minor collision involving their vehicles. Deputy Superintendent of Police Jai Prakash Atal stated that the suspects followed Singh to the wedding location and shot him there.
The incident quickly took a communal turn. Enraged locals launched retaliatory attacks, setting ablaze at least 15 stalls and shops. What began with two targeted shops soon spread due to the flames reaching smaller adjacent shops. The situation worsened when the mob began hurling stones at the police force deployed to manage the unrest.
Police Official Received Injury
During the stone-pelting, Raipur Police Station SHO Bannalal Jat suffered a severe head injury and was shifted to Jaipur for advanced treatment after initial care in Jhalawar. Nearly six other police personnel sustained less serious injuries while attempting to quell the mob violence.
As the atmosphere turned increasingly volatile, Kota Divisional Commissioner Rajendra Singh Shekhawat ordered a 24-hour suspension of internet services in the Dug, Gangdhar, and Pedawa sub-divisions from midnight Friday. Authorities explained that the internet ban was a preventive measure to stop rumors and misinformation from spreading further.
A man named Rehan has been taken into custody in connection with the shooting, and the vehicle allegedly involved in the crime has also been recovered. Additional SP Chiranjee Lal Meena confirmed the arrest and revealed that previous hostility between Singh and the accused might have been a contributing factor. He added that the situation has now been brought under control with a robust police presence in the affected areas.
Victim’s Family Staged Protest
In the aftermath, the victim’s family and local residents launched a protest, demanding justice and refusing to allow a post-mortem until arrests were made. Their stance softened after intervention by local MLA Kaluram Meghwal, who assured them that action would be taken.
MLA Meghwal later announced that Singh’s family would receive financial aid of Rs 40 lakh Rs 5 lakh from government funds and the rest raised through public contributions. Additionally, a contractual government job would be offered to Singh’s younger brother, according to Jhalawar Collector Ajay Singh Rathod.
Officials have stated that the investigation is ongoing and further arrests may follow as the inquiry progresses. The killing of Shambhu Singh, a young man engaged in his work at a wedding, has left the community deeply shaken, with many calling for swift justice and long-term measures to ensure peace.
The sequence of events from a routine road argument to a fatal shooting and large-scale violence has underscored the fragile nature of communal harmony in tense regions and the urgency of conflict de-escalation measures.
