A labourer participating in an ongoing agitation in the Giral area of Barmer district died early Friday morning after his health deteriorated. Following the news of his death, Shiv MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati reached the district hospital, arranged for the body to be kept in the mortuary, and sought details about the incident.
Details of the Deceased
Jaisaram Meghwal (48) belonged to a financially weak family and was participating in the long-running sit-in. His death sparked anger among the agitating workers, who began a sit-in outside the mortuary. Chauhtan MLA Adu Ram Meghwal also reached the sit-in, where villagers confronted him. Several leaders and public representatives, including former MLA Mevaram Jain, visited the sit-in and expressed sympathy with the deceased's family.
Sequence of Events
The agitation had been ongoing in Giral village under the Shiv police station area for the past two months. Labourers sat in front of the mines demanding their rights. Jaisaram, who was at the sit-in site, fell ill Thursday night. As his condition worsened, he was taken first to Bhadkha hospital and then rushed to Barmer. It was alleged that no ambulance or other facility was available, and he was transported to Bhadkha with difficulty. Early Friday morning, after reaching Barmer hospital, doctors declared him dead. The body was then kept in the mortuary of the district hospital.
Administration Response
ADM Rajendra Singh Chandawat, Additional SP Nitesh Arya, the tehsildar, and other police and administrative officials reached the site. ADM Rajendra Singh Chandawat stated that the district administration team reached the mortuary and was investigating the circumstances of the death. Through the mediation of Rajasthan government minister K K Bishnoi and Chohtan MLA Adooram Meghwal, talks between the administration and the family members concluded Friday night.
Compensation Package
Shiv MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati announced that, as part of the agreement, the administration will provide jobs to three members of Jaisaram Meghwal’s family, including his wife, along with two permanent houses and financial assistance of ₹27 lakh. Bhati further stated that Jaisaram Meghwal was a member of his constituency family. He pledged an additional ₹10 lakh in financial assistance from his MLA fund for the bereaved family. Following the agreement, the protest held outside the mortuary was called off.
Allegations by MLA
Ravindra Singh Bhati alleged that labourers had been sitting on a sit-in for two months, but the administration was not responding. He claimed the death occurred due to what he described as an autocratic attitude of the administration. Bhati said he had been sitting at the protest site for a month and that Jaisaram was also there for a long time, adding that the labourer had two small children. Bhati said people were raising their voice for 30 years and no one came to listen, and that if people did not come together, no one would have let poor labourers remain there. He noted that his health and the health of many labourers had deteriorated earlier as well, and a doctor was called to treat them. He emphasized that the issue was not about politics but about honour and employment, and alleged that no representative of the government came. Bhati further alleged that a pistol was openly brandished and the administration remained a mute spectator, asking who was responsible for the situation. He also alleged that for two months, no administrative officials, including the tehsildar and SDM, visited the sit-in site, and that no responsible person came to Giral village to hear the labourers. He referred to an incident in which an MLA sprinkled petrol inside the collectorate over the labourers’ demands, and said despite this, the administration remained unresponsive. Bhati was seen standing with the workers during the agitation and was present at the sit-in site for several days, pressing the administration and the government over the labourers’ demands.
