Violence on as Gujjars call for bandh, toll at 15

Jaipur, May 30: Even as the death toll in yesterday's violence mounted to 15, members of the Gujjar community went on a rampage today in Dausa and other parts of Rajasthan while enforcing a state-wide bandh to press for granting them ST status, forcing the authorities to send reinforcements to affected areas.

The large-scale violence in the state, which has hit the tourism industry, continued for the second day, even as the State Gujjar Reservation Action Committee called for the intensification of the agitation.

Mobs damaged railway tracks, signals and crossings in Dausa, which is represented in the Lok Sabha by high-profile Congress leader Sachin Pilot. As many as seven people were killed in the district when police opened fire to quell the mobs yesterday.

Mr Pilot, who visted his constituency today, demanded that the BJP Government in the state own moral responsibility for the police firing on the protesters and resign immediately.

''Short of the Government going, there is no solution to the impasse with the agitation spreading to Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh and outer parts of Delhi,'' he told reporters in Delhi after his return from Peepalikheda on the Jaipur-Agra Highway where, he said, bodies of six persons were still lying there for more than 32 hours with no State representative turning up to soothe the anger ofthe community.

The situation was again reviewed at the state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje here, which decided to send a four-member Ministerial team to hold talks with Gujjar community leaders.

Army and para military forces were called out in Bandikui of Dausa district today after protestors set afire two buses in Divai and Sikandra near Bandikui and damaged at least two km of railway tracks near Bharatpur railway station.

A mob set on fire the Atal Ban police post near Bharatpur and two huts near Kali ki Holi Bagichi, which resulted in a prolonged traffic jam in the area.

In Alwar district, the protestors tried to block the roads and highways and clashed with the police. At least 14 people were killed and 100 injured in clashes and police firing in three districts yesterday when the Gujjar agitation turned violent. The toll went up to 15 today, with one more person succumbing to injuries at a Kota hospital.

Gokul Gujjar, 45, who sustained injuries in the police firing in Bundi yesterday, died at the MBS Hospital in Kota.

Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said bandhs were reported from a number of places in the state except Bikaner and Jodhpur divisions, in protest against yesterday's police firing.

The army and the police forces were maintaining vigil in the violence hit areas. Bodies of seven people, including that of a policemen, in Patoli's police firing were still in the agitating Gujjars' possession while the authorities were trying to get them for the post-mortem.

The Agra-Jaipur national highway was still blocked near Patoli in Dausa district.

Meanwhile, a three-member AICC team sent by Congress president Sonia Gandhi for taking stock of the situation in the violence-hit areas of Dausa and Bundi districts, was detained at Dausa, party General Secretary and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said.

The team was later sent back to the state capital.

Talking to mediapersons here, the team, lead by party spokesman Satyavrat Chaturvedi, demanded a judicial inquiry into yesterday's incidents of police firing and also urged Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to resign for her "failure" to maintain law and order in the state.

The team, also comprising Krishna Tirath and KC Lenka, noted that this was not the first instance of police firing under the present regime but earlier too, over a dozen of such incidents had taken place during the term of the BJP government.

Mr Chaturvedi also said that his party was yet to decide its view and policy over the community's demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe category. ''Presently the issue was not under the consideration of the party as it was a state government subject and the government should make its position clear,'' he said, adding the team was sent to meet agitating Gujjar people and to persuade them to restore peace.

Meanwhile, the Gujjar Mahasabha has sought the resignation of Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Minister Kalulal Gujjar from the Vasundhara Raje cabinet. It also announced a ban on the entry of the Minister in the Sawai Bhoj Mandir, the biggest pilgrim centre of the Gujjars here, where Mr Gujjar is the president of the temple trust.

UNI