In a riot-torn village, a poll surprise lies in wait

The new Delhi-Mumbai expressway is among the most modern and expansive infrastructure projects in India.

- Roshan Kishore

As one speeds on the expressway after crossing the suburban mass of Gurugram, it is very easy to miss (the crime republic of) Mewat which the expressway neatly bisects into two. In any other election in Rajasthan, one need not have left the highway to enter into the part of Mewat which lies in Bharatpur district of the state. However, the 2023 elections gave good reason to this reporter to visit Ghatmeeka village under Kaman assembly constituency in Rajasthan.

Ghatmeeka made national headlines when two young men from this village, Nasir and Junaid were found burnt to death, allegedly by cow vigilantes earlier this year. It is a case (one of the accused is Monu Manesar) which is suspected to have been one of the factors behind the riots Nuh (in Mewat) witnessed in August.

The contrast between Ghatmeeka and the expressway that is less than a few kilometers away from the village could not have been bigger. Roads are non-existent in this village and there is widespread poverty unlike the opulence which the expressway symbolises. The only commonality is that there is no dearth of heavy vehicle traffic in Ghatmeeka as well. There is a steady flow of large trucks loaded with stones from the Aravallis — most of the mining is likely illegal .