Rajasthan: Former MLA starts hunger strike in jail, says fake case registered against him over mobile recovery
Jaipur, Sep 12 (IANS) A fresh controversy has emerged over the alleged recovery of a mobile phone from Baljeet Yadav, former MLA from Rajasthan’s Behror, while he is lodged in Jaipur Central Jail.
Yadav has denied having any connection with the phone and has begun an indefinite hunger strike inside the jail. According to his allegations, the FIR registered against him on September 9 after the mobile recovery is false and politically motivated.
He has also questioned the circumstances under which the mobile phone was allegedly recovered. Sandeep Yadav, the outgoing Sarpanch representative of Tasing village in Behror and a spokesperson for Team Baljeet Yadav, reportedly met the former MLA in jail.
According to Sandeep Yadav, Baljeet Yadav told him that he was neither personally searched nor was his barrack inspected when the mobile phone was allegedly recovered. Yadav has alleged that the case was registered under political pressure with the intention of damaging his reputation.
Following the meeting, Sandeep Yadav submitted a letter to the Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP), seeking an impartial investigation and a detailed examination of CCTV footage from the day of the alleged incident.
According to Baljeet Yadav’s account, on September 9, the day the mobile phone was allegedly recovered, he was with prison doctor Dr Karan for a blood pressure and blood sugar check. Yadav further claimed that the phone was found abandoned in a public toilet near the alley behind Ward No. 5 of the jail and that he had no connection with it.
He has alleged that the jail administration implicated him despite there being no search or seizure from his possession. These allegations have not been independently established.
Acting on Yadav’s instructions, Sandeep Yadav reportedly sent a letter to the Rajasthan DGP in Jaipur on Friday. The letter seeks examination of CCTV footage. CCTV recordings from across the Jaipur Central Jail complex, the route to the hospital and the area around the toilet should be secured and provided to the investigating officer, he said. The second demand is verification of Yadav’s whereabouts.
The footage should be examined to establish whether Baljeet Yadav was with Dr Karan at the hospital when the alleged recovery took place, it added. The third demand was that the statements should be recorded from prisoners who were present near the hospital and Kanha Garden around the relevant time.
The letter also seeks an impartial investigation into FIR No. 0191/2026, which Yadav’s supporters allege was registered out of political vendetta.
The issue has also created a stir within the Jaipur Central Jail administration after Baljeet Yadav reportedly informed authorities that he was beginning an indefinite hunger strike. Yadav has previously used unconventional forms of protest, including running while dressed in black and undertaking fasts.
According to Sandeep Yadav, the former MLA has said he will continue his fast until an impartial investigation into the case begins and action is taken against those responsible, if wrongdoing is established.
The controversy comes amid heightened political activity in Rajasthan ahead of the results of the 2026 civic body elections. Yadav’s supporters in Behror and Alwar have expressed anger over the case and maintain that he has been targeted for raising issues concerning the public and unemployed youth. The focus is now on the Rajasthan Police and jail authorities.
Whether CCTV footage from the relevant locations will be examined, and what it may establish about the circumstances surrounding the mobile phone recovery, could be crucial to the investigation.
At present, the allegations made by Baljeet Yadav and his supporters remain claims, and the matter is subject to investigation.
–IANS
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