Protesters of the Gujjar community have burnt a police post in Karauli in east Rajasthan and have blocked the Jaipur-Agra road at Sikandra.
A day after 15 people were killed in clashes between Gujjars and police in Bharatpur, the community has threatened to indefinitely continue the stir till its demand for Scheduled Caste status is met.
Four columns of Army have been deployed in violence-hit Bayana town and nearby villages.
Gurjar Arakashan Sangarsh Samiti convener Kirori Singh Bhainsla said Gujjars will not settle for nothing less than the state’s letter of recommendation to the Centre for the ST status.
Speaking over telephone from Philpura, Bhainsla, said, ”We will take up the stir indefinitely unless the state government complies with our demand.”
He said the special package of Rs 282 crores announced by the government for the uplift of Gujjars can neither be accepted in lieu of the recommendation letter nor it is sufficient for development of the community.
When asked if the samiti would accept in the event of the package being enhanced, he said, ”No, no at all.”
Bhainsla, against whom and five of his associates, arrest warrants were issued by the Karauli district authorities, vehemently denied that demonstrators uprooted railway tracks during the samiti’s ‘rail roko’ call yesterday.
Replying to question on whether it is the opportune moment to launch the agitation when the state is mourning the recent serial blasts, Bhainsla said, ”We regret and sympathize with those who lost their lives but we are not at all concerned with the timing.”
”See our sufferings, too,” he added.
The demand for scheduled caste status has once again put the state government in a spot because earlier too they had in a round about way asked the Centre to redraw guidelines for those wanting to be included in the scheduled tribe list.
”We have sent the letters to the government. The Chopra Committee told us to help the economically-backward areas. We got a Rs 300 core package ready in the budget. It was the first such package in 50 years, said Rajasthan Chief Vasundhara Raje.
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