Former BJP MLA Atar Singh Bhadana Dies After Alleged Mob Attack Over Crusher Plant Dispute in Rajasthan's Bharatpur

Former BJP MLA Atar Singh Bhadana (also spelled Attar Singh Bhedana) died late on Sunday, October 11, 2026, after he was allegedly attacked by a group of villagers in Bharatpur district, Rajasthan, amid a long-running dispute over a stone crusher and mining lease. He died at around 11:30 PM at SMS Hospital in Jaipur, IANS reported on Monday, October 12.

According to police and media reports, the clash took place on Sunday evening at the crusher site in Bhonda village (spelled Bhaunda in some reports), under the Weir police station area. Bhadana and his bodyguard, identified as Gagan Sharma, were allegedly attacked with sticks and stones. Both were taken to the Weir Sub-District Hospital at around 8:15 PM, where a doctor said they were given initial treatment and referred onward. Bhadana was sent to Jaipur and Sharma to Bharatpur. Bhadana died during treatment, and his body was kept in the SMS Hospital mortuary.

Reports differ on the size of the crowd, with some citing 70 to 80 people and others saying hundreds. These figures have not been confirmed by police.

Police said villagers had accused Bhadana of encroaching on grazing land and carrying out illegal mining. The crusher had been shut for about a year, and efforts to restart it led to renewed disagreement, according to the police account carried by NewsDrum-linked reports. NewsBytes reported that the mining lease was linked to Bhadana's wife and that the plant had court permission to restart, which angered villagers. Station House Officer Dhirendra Singh said the dispute had been going on for about four years and that neither side had filed a formal complaint when he spoke to reporters.

Villagers claimed that Bhadana came to the site with around 40 to 50 people on Sunday evening and tried to remove them from the protest site, after which the confrontation began. These are the villagers' claims as relayed in the reports, and have not been independently verified.

One person quoted in the IANS report claimed that Bhadana had suffered a gunshot wound. Other reports describe sticks and stones, and the cause of death has not been officially confirmed by police or a post-mortem report in the sources reviewed.

Police are conducting raids to arrest those involved, and villagers continue to protest against the lease and crusher plant, according to reports. No arrests had been reported at the time of writing. Further details are awaited as the investigation continues.

Wipidia is not naming any individuals as suspects. All allegations are those of police sources, villagers or other parties quoted in the reports.

This is a developing story based on reports from IANS, Hindustan Times network, NewsBytes, Inshorts and others as of October 12, 2026, and may be updated.