Rajasthan: Situation in Tonk stable, says DM a day after MLA candidate's arrest, violence

Jaipur: The situation in Rajasthan's Tonk district, where an Independent candidate in the recent bypolls was arrested following a high drama and escalating violence, has stabilised and was under control, a senior official said on Friday.

A mob assaulted a PTI reporter and video cameraperson and burnt their camera on Thursday, a day after Congress rebel and Independent candidate Naresh Meena slapped Malpura SDM Amit Chaudhary outside a polling booth in front of hundreds of people.

The attack came while the PTI crew was covering a protest following Meena's arrest.

The Independent candidate will be produced before a court on Friday. Police have made tight security arrangements with heavy deployment of personnel in Tonk and the surrounding areas.

Tonk District Collector Soumya Jha said, "During polling on November 13, a candidate slapped the SDM while on election duty. The SDM filed an FIR then, but we did not disturb the candidate."

"After the polls ended and the polling party was leaving, the candidate tried to stop them. That's when the police intervened. The police attempted to resolve the situation, but the candidate initiated an assault," she told PTI.

"Some supporters caused disturbances in different areas, but now the situation has stabilised and everything is under control," the district collector added.