Jaipur:
Supporters of former Water Resources Minister in the Ashok Gehlot government, Mahipal Maderna, attacked mediapersons outside a hospital in Jodhpur where he is currently admitted.
The supporters also reportedly manhandled a reporter of a private channel who was waiting outside the Mahatma Gandhi hospital.
Maderna, who has been suspended by the Congress party, is in hospital after the CBI questioned him last night. The investigating agency is questioning him on his relationship with missing nurse Bhanwari Devi. Bhanwari Devi went missing from Bilada near Jodhpur on September 1. Maderna is suspected of having a relationship with Bhanwari Devi, with a CD purportedly showing him in a compromising position with the missing nurse.
Maderna's wife, Leela, too is being questioned by the CBI. She had denied knowing Bhanwari Devi at all and accused the media of trying to target her husband and said the CD in question was aimed at "maligning her family".
Apart from Maderna and his family, Luni MLA Malkhan Singh is also in the dock for the disappearance of the nurse. Malkhan Singh is also suspected of having an illicit relationship with Bhanwari Devi and as a result, he too is being questioned by the CBI.
Meanwhile another minister from the Rajasthan government Ram Lal Jat has resigned. Jat who was the state minister for forest and environment, has resigned after the BJP alleged that he too is involved in the missing nurse case. He however claims it is a conspiracy.
Speaking to reporters, Jat said: "The Bharatiya Janata Party, in league with a newspaper, have indulged in cheap acts. The newspaper has printed baseless allegations against me. I have been hurt. They tried to tarnish the image of the provincial government. They are targeting each and very minister so that the image of government and (state ruling) Congress party is sullied. I have taken this step because I have been hurt by these accusations."