Kin refuse to accept body, demand arrests in youth’s murder in Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer: Family members of a youth, identified as Mahavir Singh, allegedly abducted and beaten to death in Jaisalmer, continued their protest outside the mortuary Wednesday, demanding the arrest of all the accused and action against the officer in charge of the Myajlar police station.The deceased’s father, Gordhan Singh, said the family would not accept Mahavir Singh’s body until police arrest all 15 people allegedly involved in the killing. A heavy police deployment remained in place outside the mortuary, while teams carried out searches for the suspects.Jaisalmer SP Abhishek Shivhare said preliminary investigation suggested the incident stemmed from an old rivalry. According to police, Mahavir Singh was returning to Myajlar village on a motorcycle with a companion Tuesday when assailants travelling in two vehicles allegedly rammed the bike, causing both riders to fall.Police said the attackers then forced both men into a vehicle. The companion was later dropped along the route, while Mahavir was allegedly assaulted with sticks inside the moving vehicle. According to police, the accused later abandoned him near Soda village before fleeing.The SP said police have set up blockades and formed multiple teams to trace the accused.Gordhan Singh alleged that his son earlier fought with the main accused, Hamir Singh, on a few occasions. He said the family never expected the dispute to escalate into a fatal attack involving multiple people. The family also alleged that police shifted the body to the mortuary without informing them, prompting them to gather outside the hospital in protest.Bhopal Singh, a resident of Dhaneli who was travelling with Mahavir at the time of the incident, alleged that two to three vehicles intercepted them on the road and knocked their motorcycle down. He claimed the attackers forced both men into a vehicle and assaulted Mahavir with sticks, rods and iron bars.Bhopal further alleged that after travelling some distance, the accused took away his mobile phone and pushed him out of the vehicle while warning him not to speak about the incident. He claimed around 15 people were involved and said he could identify Hamir Singh and Papu Singh among them.