Barmer, Rajasthan: A dramatic confrontation unfolded at the Barmer Collectorate on Tuesday when Ravindra Singh Bhati, the sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Shiv constituency, poured petrol on himself in a shocking act of protest, triggering chaos inside the district headquarters and forcing senior administration officials to intervene immediately.
The incident marked a dangerous escalation in an ongoing labour agitation at the Giral Lignite Mines, located in the Barmer district of Rajasthan. Local workers at the mines have been staging a sit-in protest for 38 consecutive days, demanding resolution of multiple pending grievances related to employment, wages, and working conditions. MLA Bhati had joined the protesters in solidarity 14 days prior and had been sitting in the scorching summer heat alongside the striking workers.
Earlier in the day, a large workers' assembly — described locally as a mahapanchayat — was held at Giral village. The gathering drew labourers, representatives of various trade unions, farmers' bodies, and youth organisations from across the state. Following the assembly, a convoy of several hundred vehicles ferried thousands of protesters to the Barmer district headquarters, where demonstrators surrounded the collectorate building while raising slogans and carrying banners.
It was during this siege of the district headquarters that tensions boiled over. According to eyewitnesses present at the scene, the MLA suddenly produced a container of petrol and poured it over himself inside the collectorate premises. The act sent the crowd and security personnel into a panic. Police officers and supporters present at the spot immediately intervened, physically restraining Bhati and preventing any further escalation before he could be harmed.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Barmer Collectorate was placed under heavy police deployment, effectively converting the district headquarters into a security enclosure. Senior administrative and police officials rushed to the spot and initiated dialogue with the MLA and representatives of the labour unions, attempting to bring both sides to the negotiating table.
Thousands of supporters, workers, and villagers who had gathered outside the collectorate remained agitated as news of the incident spread. Slogans against the administration grew louder, reflecting what protesters described as months of unaddressed appeals and systemic neglect of the working class in the region.
The Giral mines, a significant source of lignite coal in the Thar region of western Rajasthan, employ a large number of local labourers. The workers' central demands reportedly include regularisation of contractual jobs, fair wages, and improved safety conditions — issues that have remained unresolved despite repeated appeals to the district and state authorities.
As of the time of reporting, talks between the administration and protest leaders were ongoing. No formal statement had been issued by the Rajasthan government or the district collectorate. The situation at the Barmer district headquarters remained tense, with security forces maintaining a heavy perimeter around the premises.