Delhi-Mumbai trains hit as Gujjar stir continues

Centre must intervene, says Gehlot, cites quota for EWS

February 09, 2019 08:39 pm | Updated 10:31 pm IST - JAIPUR

Members of the Gujjar community staging a dharna in Sawai Madhopur on Saturday.

Members of the Gujjar community staging a dharna in Sawai Madhopur on Saturday.

Rail traffic on the Delhi-Mumbai route remained disrupted for the second day on Saturday with hundreds of Gujjars continuing to block the track near Malarna Dungar in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur district. The protesters are demanding 5% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.

Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla, spearheading the agitation, announced that any talks with the State government would be held “nowhere else, but only here on the track.”

His statement was in response to Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh’s offer of talks in Jaipur. Mr. Singh, a member of the government committee appointed to hold negotiations, reached the protest site on Saturday evening.

One train were cancelled, four were short-terminated and 21 trains between Delhi and Mumbai were diverted through other routes.

Many bus services hit

Rajasthan Roadways was also forced to suspend operations on the Karauli-Hindon route as the protesters blocked the road at Gudla. They earlier blocked National Highway-89 from Ajmer to Nagaur, but it was re-opened by the police.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the government had already done whatever was in its power. “The Centre may consider fulfilling the demand of the Gujjars by amending the Constitution, as it has done for [reservation to] the poor. Gujjars should submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

Additional Director-General of Police (Law & Order) M.L. Lather said there were no reports of any untoward incident at the sites of the protests . Sufficient police and Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) forces had been deployed to meet any exigency, and the administration was keeping a watch, he said.

Though Gujjars, along with nomadic communities Banjara, Gadia-Lohar, Raika and Gadariya, have been included in the State’s Other Backward Class (OBC) category since 1994, they have contended that the dominant castes were taking away a major share of the quota. The community is demanding the Most Backward Class status with a provision for an exclusive 5% reservation.

Gujjars now get 1% reservation in addition to the OBC quota, within the 50% ceiling mandated by the Supreme Court.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.