Gujjars block Jaipur-agra highway as agitation fans out
QUTOA Gehlot says his govt earlier fulfilled demand of 5% reservation but HC didn’t accept it; Bainsla firm on quota
JAIPUR: Gujjar community members blocked National Highway-11, which connects Jaipur with Agra, in Rajasthan’s Dausa district on Monday, the fourth day of their agitation demanding 5% reservation in government jobs and educational institutes.
The agitation has spread to other parts of the state. Protesters have blocked five places on national and state highways. “NH-11 was blocked at Sikandara in Dausa. A state highway was blocked in Bundi district’s Nainwa on Sunday and Malarna road in Sawai Madhopur and Karauli-hindaun road at Budla village in Karauli have also been blocked,” DGP, law and order, ML Lather said.
He s ai d t he Gujjars al s o blocked roads near Khetri in Jhunjhunu district, Neemkathan in Sikar district, Thanwla in Nagaur district and Baseri-bari in Dholpur district, but the police cleared them.
The Gujjars are sitting on railway tracks near Malarna Dungar near Sawai Madhopur from Friday. The blockade by Gujjars at state highway Nainwa in Bundi district, Malarna road in Sawai Madhopur and KarauliHindaun City Road at Budla village is continuing. The Gujjar agitators also demonstrated in Gumanpura area of Kota city on Monday.
The Gujjar agitation had turned violent on Sunday in Dholpur when protestors threw stones at the police, opened fire from country made guns and torched police vehicles when they tried to remove the block- a d e p ut o n Agra- Gwali o r national highway. Around half a dozen policemen were injured in the violence.
Gujjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti president Kirori Singh Bainsla on Monday said the government should tell what plans they have for the community.
“The Gujjars will leave the railway tracks only after getting 5% reservation,” he added.
Chief minister Ashok Gehlot said government is ready to help the Gujjars . “We did what we can. The entire Gujjar community knows that during my tenure as chief minister I decided to give them 1% reservation due to which hundreds Gujjars got benefit in teaching, police and other s e r vi c e s . We f ul f i l l e d t he demand of 5% reservation, but High court did not accept it,” he said. Gehlot said during the BJP government, they passed a law in the assembly, notified it, but was not approved.
Now the Gujjars should place their demand before the Centre because it is the Centre which has to decide, the CM said.
“We want peace to prevail in Rajasthan. Due to Gujjar agitation, many trains have been cancelled, while many have been diverted and this is causing loss to the country, economy and problems t o passengers,” said Gehlot.
“Bainsla and his colleagues should see the problems of the passengers and there is no point sitting on dharna. I appeal to call off the dharna and talk to the government. I assure that the government will do its best,” he said. According to north western railway, two trains were cancelled, while four trains have been diverted and two trains partially cancelled.
The trains that were cancelled are Okha-jaipur and Jaipur Okha; Jaipur-bayana train was terminated at Sawai Madhopur and partially cancelled between Sawai Madhopur and Bayana; Trains that were diverted are Udaipur-hazart Nizamuddin, Nizamuddin-udaipur, Amritsar-mumbai Centra and Firozpur Cantonment-mumbai Central.