Alert in MP due to Gujjar stir in Rajasthan

Morena (Madhya Pradesh), May 24 : A high alert has been sounded in the districts bordering Madhya Pradesh to check any untoward incident in wake of the ongoing Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan.

Additional police forces have been deployed in Morena and Chambal, considering large number of Gujjars residing in the region, sources said today.

Police is also keeping a strict vigil on the Rajghat bridge on the highway of Rajasthan border, they said.

At least 16 persons, including a policeman, were killed at Bayana 20 kms from Jaipur in a clash with police during violent protests by the members of the Gujjar community, pressing their demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

Angry community members have decided to assemble in Gwalior along with the bodies of those killed in the agitation, the sources said.

Considering all this, the State police and administration have sounded a high alert, they added.

Earlier, Army was deployed today morning in violence-hit Bayana town in the district.

Four columns of Army (about 800 troops) were deployed in Bayana and nearby villages of Philpura, Dhumaria and Karvaria where the situation is still tense, Bharatpur District Collector T Ravi Kant said.

ANI