Jaisalmer village tense after farmer’s murder by poachers

Police resorted to lathi-charge and lobbed teargas shells on Thursday to disperse a crowd protesting against the murder of a farmer allegedly by poachers, after he stopped them from hunting deer at Dangri village in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district. The protesters hurled stones at the police and set a shop on fire.

Tension has been prevailing in the village since three persons allegedly stabbed Khet Singh, 50, with a sharp-edged weapon on Tuesday (September 2, 2025)night while he was sleeping in his field. Some farmers spotted Singh in an injured state and rushed him to a hospital in Fatehgarh, but he succumbed to his injuries.

The agitated villagers tried to attack the houses of the suspects and set fire to a shop belonging to one of them. The three poachers - identified as Ladu Khan, Alam Khan and Khete Khan - have been detained, and the vehicle in which they travelled to Singh’s agricultural field has been seized.

The poachers had reportedly come to hunt deer with guns about 10 days ago. When Singh resisted, an argument broke out and the accused left after threatening him. The victim’s brother, Swaroop Singh, who lodged a complaint with the police, alleged that the same men carried out the fatal attack.

Jaisalmer Superintendent of Police Abhishek Shivhare said an additional police force had been deployed in Dangri in view of the prevailing tension, and the entry of outsiders into the village restricted.