Caste group denies attacking Raj MLA

Days after Independent Rajasthan MLA Hanuman Beniwal complained of an attack by some unidentified assailants, a caste group here has denied that its members were behind the incident.
The Shree Rajput Karni Sena also charged that an "environment is deliberately being created to divide the castes" and urged the members of the Rajput and Jat communities to stay united and shun casteism.
"Allegations were levelled by the MLA that some Shree Rajput Karni Sena members attacked his vehicle, but such claims are absolutely baseless.
"Karni Sena is never involved in any such activity," Lokendra Singh Kalvi, founder of the group, told a press conference today.

He also condemned a protest by some students at Rajasthan University in Jaipur over the alleged attack on Beniwal and deprecated the subsequent police action on them.
"The university is not a place for holding such protests. The MLA and his supporters are blaming our organisation for the attack on him, but the allegations are baseless.

"We want peace and harmony but an environment is deliberately being created to divide the castes," he said.
Kalvi said that some Jat community elders in Nagaur, from where both Kalvi and Beniwal hail, had urged him to come forward to stop the "environment of hate".

"There have been numerous occasions where our members were on the road (for protests) for various reasons, but not a single incident of violence or tension happened.
"This time also, Beniwal is constantly changing his statements regarding attack on him," he further alleged.
"Earlier, he (Beniwal) alleged that goons of the chief minister had attacked him, then he held three ministers responsible for the same. Later, he shifted the blame on to Karni Sena and that is ridiculous," Kalvi claimed while stressing that his organisation had no political affiliation or interests and worked for cause of social upliftment.
Beniwal had alleged that some members of Karni Sena had targeted him when he was on his way to Nagaur from Jaipur on September 23.

Windowpanes of the vehicle he was travelling in were damaged and two other persons sitting with the MLA received mild injuries although Beniwal was unhurt.
Yesterday, supporters of Beniwal at Rajasthan University in the state capital protested against the alleged incident and tried to take out a rally demanding arrest of the accused involved in the attack.
Police had resorted to the use of force to deal with the protesting students, leaving several of them injured.