Bharatpur, Oct. 23 -- Investigators probing the murder of Bayana's former BJP MLA Atar Singh Bhadana, who was beaten to death by a mob on October 11 in Bharatpur district, said on Thursday that interrogations suggested that in addition to local opposition to Bhadana's mining operations in the area, the killing was also motivated by simmering local resentment over earlier confrontations and the absence of leaders to control the mob. "The villagers wanted revenge and were determined to stop mining operations. The crowd had no leader who could restrain it," said deputy superintendent of police Kailash Chaudhary, who is leading the probe. Police have arrested 15 people in connection with the murder. The complaint named 64 people and accused another 70 to 80 unidentified people of involvement. Chaudhary said the dispute over the mining lease had previously led to clashes between Bhadana and villagers. The former legislator had also lodged complaints against some villagers, fuelling resentment against him, according to the investigation. "The villagers had gathered to threaten and assault him, but the attack turned fatal. There was nobody leading the crowd who could persuade them to stop," Chaudhary said. Hundreds of villagers allegedly gathered with lathis at Bhadana's mining unit on the evening of October 11 and attacked him, police said. Police are conducting raids to trace the remaining accused. "Teams are regularly raiding suspected hideouts in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh," said the DSP....