Road, train traffic hit as Jat stir escalates in Rajasthan

Rail and road network connecting to Bharatpur are jammed due to the agitation.

Jaipur, June 23: Rail and road network remained affected in Bharatpur and neighbouring areas in Rajasthan due to stir by Jat community members demanding grant of OBC reservation benefits to the community in Dholpur and Bharatpur.

Roads connecting Mahua, Agra, Bharatpur, Jaipur are blocked. State transport and private buses are being diverted to take alternative routes. Market in Bharatpur is closed to avoid any untoward incident, SP Bharatpur Anil Kumar Tank said on Friday.

Sources said that Kaman, Bolkheda, Nadbai, Kumher,Khedli, Vehaj, Bandha, Bedham, Deeg, Garoli apart from Jaipur-Bharatpur highway are jammed due to ongoing agitation of Jat community members who had blocked railway track between Bedham and Vehaj railway station on Thursday.

The members are led by Jat leaders and Congress MLA Vishvendra Singh who are demanding reservation for Jats of Dholpur and Bharatpur districts.

"People are agitated and they don't want any assurances. If government is really willing to provide reservation to Jats in OBC, they should come to Bharatpur and give people in writing when it will be implemented," Singh told PTI.

He has said that Jats of Bharatpur and Dholpur have been demanding reservation since August 2015 but the demand has not been fulfilled yet.

On Thursday, OBC commission had submitted it's report to the Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje after which Jats community members blocked railway tract following a decision taken in a Mahapanchayat.

State Social justice and empowerment minister Arun Chaturvedi had said that government is positive for providing reservation to Jats in Bharatpur and Dholpur and urged the community members to call off the protest.

He had said that "the commission has submitted it's recommendations and government would consider them with regards to OBC quota demands."

PTI