The attack on the residence of Ram Ji Lal Suman had taken place on March 27 this year, following a remark he made in Parliament on 16th-century Rajput king Rana Sanga
NEW DELHI — The Allahabad High Court has stayed the arrest of Karni Sena leader Okendra Singh Rana in two separate FIRs lodged against him in connection with the attack on the Agra residence of Samajwadi Party MP Ram Ji Lal Suman in March, allegedly by the right-wing group.
Karni Sena, an organisation based in Rajasthan, is named after Karni Mata, a deity believed by her followers to be an incarnation of Hinglaj. Since its establishment in 2006, Karni Sena has been involved in various conflicts and acts of vandalism, particularly about films and historical narratives.
The attack on the Agra residence of the lawmaker had taken place on March 27 this year following a remark he made in Parliament on 16th-century Rajput king Rana Sanga.
A division bench of Justices Siddharth and Harvir Singh passed the interim order at the weekend and fixed the matter for further hearing after six weeks. The bench clarified that the protection granted would depend on the petitioner’s cooperation with the ongoing investigation, media reports said on Saturday.
Passing this direction, the court also made it clear that if some credible material is brought on record during investigation against Rana, the investigation officer of the case, after recording its reason, may affect the arrest of the petitioner while strictly adhering to the earlier guidelines issued by the apex court in the Arnesh Kumar case.
The court in its order also issued notice to the first informant, former MLA and Suman’s son Randhir Suman, who had lodged an FIR against members of Karni Sena at Hariparwat police station in Agra district immediately after the attack.
Another FIR was lodged by a sub-inspector, who was posted in the security of MP Suman on June 1, on the same issue at Hariparwat against members of Karni Sena.
Petitioner Rana had challenged both the FIRs and had sought a stay on his arrest in the cases.
Rana’s counsel argued that he had not been named in the FIR and during the investigation, he was falsely implicated in the matter by the police.
The controversy began when Ramji Lal Suman made a statement in Parliament on March 21 suggesting that Rana Sanga had invited Mughal emperor Babur to India to defeat Ibrahim Lodi.
In his speech in Rajya Sabha, Suman stated that Indian Muslims did not consider Babur their ideal, clarifying that they follow the Prophet Muhammad and the Sufi tradition. However, in a controversial segue, he referred to Rana Sanga’s historical alliance with Babur against Ibrahim Lodi in the early 16th century and questioned Sanga’s patriotism.
These remarks, which questioned the Rajput legacy, provoked an immediate backlash from Rajput organisations, including the Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha and the Karni Sena.
Subsequently, members of Karni Sena allegedly attacked and vandalised the residence of Suman in Agra.
