[Onthebarricades] INDIA: Gujjar unrest

[Andy]

ON THE BARRICADES – Global Resistance Roundup, April-August 2008
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onthebarricades
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance/

The Gujjar, an indigenous group spread across western India, has renewed a 
protest campaign calling for registration as a scheduled caste or tribe 
(leading to benefits under affirmative action programmes).  The campaign is 
focused in the state of Rajasthan, which unlike some of its neighbours has 
refused to give the Gujjar such a status.  43 protesters were killed by 
Indian police opening fire on crowds, mostly during the first few days, 
after which an outcry seems to have restrained police violence somewhat, and 
the head of Rajasthan police was forced to resign.  Protesters blocked roads 
and railways, burned down police stations, and on one occasion lynched a 
policeman involved in the shootings.  They also lined up the bodies of their 
dead alongside the living protesters.  At one point the capital city, New 
Delhi, was blockaded by Gujjar protesters.  The campaign was eventually 
called off after the Rajasthan state government promised the Gujjar a 
separate quota.

http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=449710&sid=REG

Gujjars to get 5% quota in Rajasthan, call-off protest
Jaipur, June 18: The Rajasthan government on Wednesday announced a five per 
cent reservation for Gujjars under a "special, separate backward class" 
category sealing an agreement with the community and ending the nearly 
month-long agitation by its members demanding scheduled tribe status.

Apparently as a balancing act ahead of assembly polls later this year, 
Rajasthan government also announced 14 per cent reservation for "poor among 
upper castes" including Bramhins, Rajputs, Vaishyas and Kayasthas.

Addressing a joint press conference with Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla 
here, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje announced five per cent quota for 
Gujjars as also Rebaris and Banjaras.

Apparently keeping in mind the sensitivities of the influential Meena 
community, which enjoys the ST status in the state, she sought to allay 
apprehensions about the impact of the quota for Gujjars on the present 
reservation system.

"This quota would not have any adverse effect on the present reservation 
system in the state", she said adding "there is a necessity to give special 
support to some sections".

Expressing gratitude to Raje and giving her all credit for ending the 
stalemate, Bainsla said that in view of today's announcement the Gujjar 
agitation would be called off after he reaches Pilupura in Bharatpur, the 
nerve centre of the agitation.

"We hope there will be no need for any more agitation on the issue", he 
said.

Earlier, the formal announcement of the agreement between the two sides, 
which was slated for morning, was delayed by a few hours apparently due to 
some last-minute glitches.

The 27-day Gujjar agitation, which witnessed largescale violence, claimed 43 
lives in police firing in Rajasthan and Haryana.

Soon after resolving the Gujjar issue, Raje addressed a separate press meet 
announcing reservation for economically poor among upper castes, based on a 
report submitted today by the economically backward classes commission.

The speed with which the commission report was accepted by the government 
underlines BJP's anxiety to ward off possible backlash by upper castes, 
perceived to be the party traditional vote bank, to reservation for Gujjars.

At the same time, the chief minister assured other castes that EBC's 
recommendations would not affect the existing quota categories of SC/ST/OBC.

The state EBC chairman justice Shashi Kant Sharma and his two colleagues 
Ashutosh Gupta and Mahesh Tanwar submitted the report to the government 
today, Raje said.

A cabinet meeting would take up the report on Thursday and consider its 
implementation in the state at the earliest, she added.

The state EBC commission was set up on the pattern of the central EBC to 
cover poor people of upper caste and who were deprived of their educational 
and professional rights, Raje said.

In the past, almost every political party promised reservation for poor 
among upper castes but it was never fulfilled, she said.

The Rajasthan government also a relief package for Gujjar community 
including Rs.5 lakh cash ex-gratia each to the next of the kin of those 38 
people killed in police firing and violence.

Besides cash, one dependent of the deceased would be given a government job, 
an official release said adding the seriously injured person would be paid 
Rs. One lakh while persons with simple injuries would be given up to 
Rs.25,000.

The state government also assured the Rajasthan Gujjar Arakshan Sangarsh 
Saimit that the legality of the demand for withdrawal of criminal cases 
filed against those during the agitation would be examined on merits.

The Gujjar delegation, in turn, also assured the state government that it 
would not raise any other demand and it would not support any other Gujjar 
faction's movement and agitation in future.

About 35 Gujjar leaders, four state ministers K L Gujjar, Nathu Singh 
Gujjar, L N Dave, S M Jat, and state BJP president Om Prakash Mathur and 
senior party leader Ram Das Agarwal were signatories to the agreement 
between the two sides.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10513551&ref=rss

Thousands riot in Delhi streets over the right to be 'untouchable'
5:00AM Saturday May 31, 2008
By Andrew Buncombe
A tribe in India is challenging the nation's centuries-old caste system by 
demanding that their official status be lowered in order to provide them 
better access to jobs and education.
Members of the Gujjar tribe blocked major roads and highways into Delhi in 
sit-down protests and set fire to tyres as they vowed to create gridlock 
across India's capital and the surrounding area.
Some train services were suspended and many IT and outsourcing companies 
with offices in Delhi's satellite cities sent staff home early. In some 
places police fired tear gas at the stone-throwing demonstrators.
"This will go on until our demands are met," said Surjit Singh, a Gujjar 
protester who was standing in front of hundreds of cars.
According to Indian law, the Gujjars - many of whom live in the nearby 
desert state of Rajasthan - are classified as belonging to the country's 
second-lowest group, known as Other Backward Classes (OBC). In the complex, 
divisive system this category is one step up from the lowest level known as 
Scheduled Tribes and Castes (STC) otherwise known as Dalits, or 
"Untouchables".
The Gujjars say they have been discriminated against in terms of jobs, 
health care and education - particularly in Rajasthan - but by being 
reclassified as STC they will be eligible for government positions and 
university places reserved for that group.
The Indian Government reserves about half of all seats in state colleges and 
universities for lower castes and tribal groups - a huge affirmative-action 
plan it says is designed to counter centuries of discrimination.
Many have criticised the quota system, however, saying it accentuates caste 
differences at a time when India is seeking to modernise and develop 
economically and socially.
A government panel set up to look into the Gujjars' claims recommended a £40 
million ($100 million) aid package be set aside for their community but 
ruled out reclassifying the tribe. That has not satisfied the Gujjars.
The unrest was the latest in several weeks of confrontations between the 
tribe and the police; 40 people have died in violence across the north and 
west of India. In a number of villages and towns in Rajasthan, police used 
live ammunition to suppress demonstrations, killing dozens of people. In one 
case, a policeman was lynched by protesters.
This time last year, 26 people were killed in similar demonstrations.
In Rajasthan yesterday, protesters blocked roads with the bodies of those 
demonstrators who were shot dead by police. They said the bodies would not 
be cremated until the government agreed to their demands. "The Rajasthan 
government must realise the mood of the people and not delay the 
implementation of quotas for Gujjars," said Avatar Singh Bhadana, a Gujjar 
leader and MP.
During the 1857 uprising against British colonial rule, Hindu and Muslim 
Gujjars fought tenaciously against the imperial troops and in support of 
Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last of the Moghul emperors. In the aftermath of the 
uprising, brutally suppressed by the British, the Gujjars and some 150 other 
ethnic groups were then listed as "criminal tribes".
This listing was officially lifted in 1952 under India's first Prime 
Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Two years earlier, India's constitution had 
outlawed discrimination based on caste though the practice remains 
widespread.
- INDEPENDENT

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/29/asia/AS-GEN-India-Caste-Protests.php

Lower caste protesters block traffic around New Delhi

The Associated Press
Published: May 29, 2008

NEW DELHI: Members of one of India's lower castes blocked major roads, 
burned car tires, and threw stones at police in several areas around New 
Delhi on Thursday in a continuation of protests in the country's north and 
west that left 39 people dead.
Members of the Gujjar tribe threatened to shut down the capital unless the 
government agreed to reclassify them as members of the lowest caste so that 
they can benefit from government quotas.
Hundreds of protesters blocked traffic at major roads around the edges of 
New Delhi, burning tires alongside a traffic jam that sprawled in all 
directions. In some areas, police fired tear gas to quell the stone-throwing 
mobs.
"This will go on until our demands are met," said Surjit Singh, a Gujjar 
protester who stood in front of hundreds of cars.
Authorities deployed thousands of police to key points to minimize 
disruptions. The traffic snarls were limited to the borders of the Indian 
capital and the city was largely running normally by midmorning. There were 
no reports of violence.

The group began protesting last week in northern and western India, 
disrupting traffic and transportation links across the state of Rajasthan in 
protests that turned violent.
The leader of the tribe, Kirori Singh Bainsala, and 13 others have been 
charged with murder and rioting. The murder charge is connected to the 
killing of a policeman who was beaten to death during protests.
No mention has been made of any possible action against the police officers 
who used live ammunition over two days in half a dozen villages and towns in 
Rajasthan to suppress the demonstrations, killing 38 people.
"We are willing to take the bullets and beatings to make sure our demands 
are met," Jeetendra Pradhan, a protester, said Thursday.
Gujjars took to the streets after a government panel set up to look into 
their demands recommended a US$70 million (€45 million) aid package for 
their community, but ruled out caste reclassification.
Gujjars are considered part of the second-lowest group, known as Other 
Backward Classes, a step up from the Scheduled Tribes and Castes, the lowest 
classification.
Soon after India's independence from Britain in 1947 it was made illegal to 
discriminate against someone based on the Hindu caste system, but its 
influence remains powerful and the government sets quotas for jobs and 
university spots for the different caste groups.
Twenty-six people died in Gujjar riots in Rajasthan last year.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1167181

Gujjar protestors, block roads, train stopped
PTI
Thursday, May 29, 2008  14:27 IST

NEW DELHI/JAIPUR: Stone-pelting Gujjars protestors were on Thursday 
teargassed by police as the agitation hit the national capital region 
disrupting roads and rail traffic and causing acute hardship to commutors.
The teargassing took place at south delhi's Mehrauli area where protesters 
attacked the police by throwing stones. Incidents of violence including 
stone pelting also occurred at Aya Nagar, bordering Gurgaon, police said.
Over 35,000 policement kept a tight vigil as the 'NCR rasta roko' protesters 
blocked vehicular movement on major road stretches leading to the national 
capital.
Gujjars burnt tyres and placed blockades on the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) 
Expressway, the Mathura Road connecting Faridabad and Delhi and 
Mehrauli-Gurgaon road.
The NCR agitation, called by All India Gujjar Mahasabha, is in support of 
the community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status in Rajasthan where 39 
people were killed last week in police firing and clashes.
As their "martyrs days" protests were held Rajasthan's Karwadi and Bayana 
areas, the hotbeds of protests, an IAF helicopter dropped pamphlets 
appealing to the activists to refrain from violence and take up their demand 
for ST status with the Central Government.
In Jaipur, a bandh called by the Gujjars brought public transport to a 
grinding halt with buses remaining off the roads. However, government 
offices and markets remained open.
Incidents of road blockades and forced shutdowns were reported from the 
districts of Alwar, Bundi, Tonk, Nagaur, Udaipur, Kota and Dausa, reports 
reaching police headquaters
in Jaipur said.
Anticipating trouble, the Railways on Thursday cancelled ten trains, 
including Nizamuddin-Kochi, Maharashtra Sampark Kranti, Nizamuddin-Udaipur 
and Dehradun-Bandra expresses.
Rail traffic between Aligarh and Ghaziabad was reportedly affected while a 
large number of protestors blocked a train in Loni in adjoining Ghaziabad 
this morning.
In Delhi, protest marches were held in Mehrauli, Aya Nagar, Mayur Vihar, 
Anand Vihar, Wazirabad, Surya Nagar, Khajuri Khaz, Sarai Kalekhan besides 
other areas.
The Union Home Ministry had put the National Capital Region on high alert 
two days ago following the agitation call and issued advisories to Delhi, 
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments asking them to take measures to 
maintain peace.
Tight security measures were also enforced in neighbouring areas like 
Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad.
In Gurgaon, about 500 activists of the Ajit Singh led Indian National Lok 
Dal (INLD) blocked the Delhi-Jaipur highway at Narshingpur Chowk.
Reports from Noida and east Delhi said public transport was affected while 
private vehicles were plying but in less numbers. Vehicular traffic was also 
hit in south-west Delhi's Kapashera bordering Gurgaon.
Police are keeping a strict vigil on Delhi borders -- especially on three 
points, Aya Nagar, Bopari and one in north-east district -- to keep 
trouble-makers at bay.
Security personnel were deployed in strength in Gujjar strongholds like 
Mehrauli, Ghazipur, Patparganj, Badarpur, Khanpur, Ayanagar, Chilla village 
and Rampur, anticipating a strong showing by the community during the 
agitation.
"The community has a sizeable population in South and East districts. We 
anticipate more troubles in these areas and along the inter-state roads," a 
senior police official said.
There was an unusual rush on certain stretches in Delhi in the early hours 
as office-goers chose to leave for office early anticipating traffic snarls 
in the later part of the day.
A traffic policeman on duty said there were more vehicles on roads this 
morning before the rush hour.
"I did not want to take a risk. You don't know how things unfold. I have an 
important meeting at my office which I could not afford to miss. So I left 
early," Shanker Roy, who works in a financial firm in Delhi's Connaught 
Place, said.
However, some other commuters were not that fortunate as they had to return 
home after waiting for buses or their vehicle being blocked during their 
journey.
"I waited for the bus for quite a long time in Mayur Vihar to go to office 
but I had to return home. I did not anticipate this," Meenakshi Sharma, a 
software developer, said.
Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Delhi MLA and chief patron of All India Gujjar 
Sangarsh Samiti, appealed to protestors not to resort to violence.
"We have a just demand and we are protesting in a peaceful manner. 
Protestors should resort to peaceful means and public should not be 
harassed," he said.

http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=445422&sid=REG

Haryana vigilant on Gujjar protest in Rajasthan: Hooda
Chandigarh, May 27: Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday 
said that the state government was vigilant about the ongoing agitation by 
Gujjar in neighbouring Rajasthan and added that such protests in Haryana 
were peaceful.

Talking to reporters here today he said that government of Rajasthan should 
resolve this issue amicably and in a peaceful manner.

Without naming BJP, he said if the party which was in power in Rajasthan, 
had made such a promise in its election manifesto, it should resolve it as 
such agitations hamper the pace of development within the state and also in 
the country, he added.

Meanwhile according to a report from Rewari, which neighbours Rajasthan, 
markets remained closed in the town today to show solidarity with the 
protesting Gujjar in the neighbouring state.

The local traders and other people took out a procession in the town and 
submitted a memorandum to the local additional deputy commissioner demanding 
immediate resolution of the issue.

The memorandum threatened to block the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway No 8 at 
Kashola Chowk on May 29 to show solidarity with the protesting Gujjars in 
Rajasthan.

A report from Bhiwani said that in view of the police action against the 
agitating Gujjars in Rajasthan, the Zila Gujjar Mahasabha today sought 
dismissal of Vasundhara Raje government of Rajasthan.

In a meeting held at local Gujjar Dharmshala and presided over by its patron 
Dr Radha Krishan Chandel the sabha today condoled over death of 42 Gujjars 
during agitation in Rajasthan and observed two minutes silence for the 
souls.

The meeting unanimously decided that the Gujjars would also participate in 
the nation wide agitation on May 29.

Besides, a state level meeting of the Gujjars would also be held under the 
banner of Gujjar Mahasabha on June 1 and next course of action would be 
decided therein.

Addressing the meeting the general secretary of the mahasabha, Chand Ram 
demanded imposition of president rule in Rajasthan besides dismissal of 
Vasundhara Raje government.

He said that the Gujjar society of Rajasthan was economically backward and 
so it should be included in the list of scheduled tribe.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Gujjar_protests_escalate_rail_traffic_badly_hit/rssarticleshow/3077349.cms

Gujjar protests escalate; rail traffic badly hit
27 May 2008, 1740 hrs IST,PTI
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JAIPUR/BAYANA: Police on Tuesday tear-gassed Gujjar protestors on 
Delhi-Jaipur highway and in Tonk district as the stir spread to new areas in 
Rajasthan with agitation leader Kirori Singh Bainsla asking Centre to 
intervene to resolve the five-day old impasse over the issue of ST status 
for the community.

Police fired teargas shells to disperse hundreds of protesters who put up 
blockades on the busy Delhi-Jaipur national highway, near Kothputli, about 
130 kms from the state capital, leading to traffic chaos and large queues of 
buses. Police had earlier lathicharged the agitators.

Gujjar protesters were also tear-gassed by police in Tonk district, about 
200 kms from Jaipur, after they forced shopkeepers to down their shutters 
and blockaded roads, Superintendent of Police Giriraj Lal Meena said.

At least ten people including two policemen were injured in the violence at 
Ghas village, 12 kms from Tonk, Meena said.

In Banswara district, the protestors burned tyres and effigies. Some minor 
clashes with police were also reported from the area.

The agitation showed no signs of abating with 70-year-old Bainsla, who is 
camping along with his supporters in Karwadi in Bharatpur district, vowing 
to continuing the ongoing stir and asking the Centre to intervene.

Making it clear that he would settle for nothing less than ST status for 
Gujjars, he outrightly rejected a proposal of letter the Chief Minister to 
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recommending four to six per cent reservation 
for the community in the category of denotified tribes.

Rail traffic in North India disrupted

Rail traffic passing through Rajasthan continued to be badly affected for 
the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday with ten trains being cancelled by the 
Northern Railways in view of the violent agitation by the Gujjar community 
in the state.

Ten trains, mostly originating from Delhi, were cancelled on Tuesday in the 
interest of passengers' safety following the ongoing violent agitation at 
different places in Rajasthan, a Railway official said.

The trains that were cancelled are August Kranti Express, Nimach Link 
Express, Nizamuddin-Udaipur Intercity, Nizamuddin-Indore Intercity, Janta 
Express, Nizamuddin-Kota Jan Shatabdi Express and Gujrat Sampark Kranti.

Bandra-Nizamuddin, Maharashtra Samprak Kranti, Muzaffarpur-Bandra Avadh 
Express and Ahmedabad-Asansol Parasanath Express were also cancelled on 
Tuesday.

Service of these trains has been stopped due to the agitation by Gujjar 
Samaj Mahapanchayat Samiti and largescale public disturbance between 
Gangapur City-Bayana section in Kota Division, a Northern Railway statement 
said.

The main motive behind suspension of rail traffic in the area was to prevent 
further damage to railway property.

"The situation is very bad. Railways properties worth lakhs of rupees have 
been damaged at several places in Rajasthan. Protestors have uprooted the 
railway tracks at many places. It is not possible to continue the train 
services in such circumstances," a senior Railway official said.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL18000.htm

India quota protesters block traffic with dead bodies
27 May 2008 09:42:33 GMT
Source: Reuters
JAIPUR, India, May 27 (Reuters) - Members of an Indian ethnic group 
demanding job quotas squatted on roads and rail tracks in a western Indian 
state for a fifth day on Tuesday, alongside the dead bodies of protesters 
killed in clashes with police.
The violence began on Friday when protesters belonging to the Gujjar 
community lynched a policeman in the state of Rajasthan. Police later opened 
fire on rioters, killing 36 of them in subsequent days.
The Gujjars, already considered a disadvantaged group, want to be 
reclassified further down the complex Hindu caste and status system so they 
qualify for government jobs and university seats reserved for such groups.
Police said hundreds of Gujjar protesters paralysed traffic, squatting on 
rail tracks and a highway connecting Jaipur, the state capital, to the Taj 
Mahal town of Agra, as well to India's financial capital Mumbai.
The army and paramilitary forces patrolled the Gujjar-dominated areas, which 
continued to report stray incidents of protesters burning tyres and damaging 
vehicles.
"Almost all the national highways are functional except for Jaipur-Agra 
where a 20-30 km of diversion has been made", V.S. Singh, Rajasthan's Home 
Secretary, told Reuters.
Indian media reported on Tuesday that food supplies to the Gujjar-dominated 
areas had been cut, but Singh denied this.
Gujjars say they deserve preferential treatment, but a state government 
committee did not agree, and announced instead it would spend 2.8 billion 
rupees ($67 million) improving schools, clinics, roads and other 
infrastructure in Gujjar areas.
The Rajasthan government has warned the protesters to back down or face 
further police action.
"They should stop testing our patience," G.C. Kataria, Rajasthan's home 
minister, said. "Otherwise the authorities would be forced to throw them out 
and very many lives could be lost."
On Tuesday, a Rajasthan court asked the protest leader, K.S. Bainsla, to 
appear before it for failing to stop his community members from breaking the 
law. Separately, police filed murder charges against Bainsla for the 
lynching of the policeman.
A year ago, Gujjars in Rajasthan fought police and members of another caste 
that already qualifies for job quotas. At least 26 people were killed in 
that violence. (Writing by Krittivas Mukherjee, editing by Simon Denyer and 
Valerie Lee)

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1407354.php/10_more_killed_in_quota_protests_in_Indias_Rajasthan__2nd_Roundup_

10 more killed in quota protests in India's Rajasthan (2nd Roundup)
May 24, 2008, 14:31 GMT
New Delhi - At least 10 people were killed and scores wounded as police 
opened fire on protestors belonging to the ethnic Gujjar community in 
India's Rajasthan state Saturday, bringing the toll in two days of violence 
to 26, news reports said.
Police opened fire on a rioting mob which set fire to a police station in 
Rajasthan's Dausa district, about 80 kilometres west of Jaipur near the main 
Agra-Jaipur highway, PTI news agency reported.
The Gujjars, an ethnic group who rear livestock and earn a living by selling 
milk and dairy products, are demanding that they be classified as a 
scheduled tribe to qualify for government jobs and slots in educational 
institutions reserved for this section.
Once nomadic, the Gujjars inhabit mainly India's northern and western areas 
like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The Gujjars were protesting the killing of their community members in Bayana 
Friday. Bayana, in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district, is about 155 kilometres 
east of Jaipur and barely 65 kilometres west of the Uttar Pradesh tourist 
town of Agra, home to the Taj Mahal.
Most of the dead were Gujjar protestors who were killed when the police 
opened fire on a rioting mob that set two police vehicles ablaze and lynched 
a policeman in Karwar village near Bayana, PTI reported.
The police said they were forced to open fire to control the mob after 
teargas and rubber pellets failed to disperse them. A judicial probe has 
been ordered into the exchange of fire.
The protests spread on Saturday with Gujjar groups damaging state-run buses, 
vandalizing a bus stop on the Agra-Jaipur highway and damaging a railway 
track on the Mumbai-Delhi route, IANS news agency reported.
Gujjars also tried to block highways connecting Jaipur with Agra and Delhi. 
The Rajasthan government has stopped bus services on several routes and 
several trucks were reportedly stranded.
Four columns of the army, numbering about 800 troopers, have been deployed 
in Bayana and three adjoining villages where the situation remained tense, 
Bharatpur district official T Ravi Kant was quoted as saying.
Orders prohibiting crowds from gathering and public meetings had been given 
in five districts of Rajasthan including Bharatpur and Jaipur.
The latest violence comes nearly a year after protests by Gujjars in 
Rajasthan claimed 26 lives.
Under India's affirmative action policy, quotas have been set for government 
jobs and admission to educational institutions for disadvantaged sections of 
society and lower castes who are listed as scheduled tribes and scheduled 
castes.
Gujjar leaders said the protests would continue and spread to other areas 
until their demands were met.
They claimed Rajasthan's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had promised to give 
them scheduled tribe status before local elections in 2003.
The state government has said such a decision can only be taken by the 
federal government to which it had sent a recommendation.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1407167.php/Five_killed_in_protests_over_ethnic_quotas_in_India

Five killed in protests over ethnic quotas in India
May 23, 2008, 11:51 GMT
New Delhi - At least five people, including a policeman, were killed Friday 
when protestors belonging to the ethnic Gujjar community who were demanding 
special status to gain government jobs clashed with police in India's 
north-western state of Rajasthan.
State Home Minister GC Kataria said five people including the policeman had 
died in the violence in the Bharatpur district adjoining state capital 
Jaipur, the IANS news agency reported.
He said police opened fire after a mob of Gujjars clashed with the police, 
set fire to police vehicles and lynched a policeman. Four persons died in 
the police firing subsequently.
Earlier on Friday, Gujjar mobs gathered to block rail traffic in the 
district pelted stones and tried to damage railway tracks. They did not 
disperse even after police lobbed tear-gas shells.
Unconfirmed reports said that the agitators also fired at the police and the 
death toll in the violence could be higher.
The Gujjars held protests demanding that they be categorized as a scheduled 
tribe, which would entitle them to quotas for state jobs and student 
admissions.
Friday's violence comes nearly a year after the protests by Gujjars in 
Rajasthan over quotas claimed 26 lives.
Under India's affirmative action policy, quotas have been set for government 
jobs and admission to educational institutions for disadvantaged sections of 
society and lower castes.
Political observers said Gujjar leaders are angry about the slow progress of 
their community in government jobs and social life.
The Gujjars have been critical of the ruling conservative Bharatiya Janata 
Party, which had promised to give them the scheduled tribe status during the 
local elections in 2003.
The Gujjars, an ethnic group who rear livestock and earn a living by selling 
milk and dairy products, mainly inhabit India's northern and western areas 
like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-05-26-india-protests_N.htm?csp=34

Bloody protests in India leave at least 37 dead
Posted 5/26/2008 5:38 AM
JAIPUR, India (AP) — Protests by one of India's lower castes spread to new 
areas Monday as government forces were ordered to evict demonstrators who 
had blocked highways and railroad tracks, government officials said.
Four days of bloody demonstrations in western India by members of the Gujjar 
community have so far claimed the lives of 36 protesters and one policeman 
in the worst-hit Rajasthan state.
The Gujjars are seeking to reclassify their hereditary caste to a lower 
level, which would allow them to qualify for government jobs and university 
places reserved for such groups. The government has refused.
The riots have paralyzed road and rail traffic between Jaipur, the state 
capital, and Agra, where the famed Taj Mahal monument is located, as well as 
to Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment capital, said Rohit Kumar 
Singh, the state's information commissioner.
On Monday, the protests spread to northern Uttar Pradesh state, where 
Gujjars stopped trains, blocked highways and disrupted court proceedings.
Groups of students burned tires and set up roadblocks on the main highway 
passing through Meerut, a town near New Delhi, and stopped trains for nearly 
two hours, said Surendra Srivastava, an Uttar Pradesh government spokesman.
Trains also were briefly stopped by members of the community in the nearby 
town of Ghaziabad.
Attorneys disrupted court proceedings in Noida, a township on the outskirts 
of New Delhi, to express their support for the Gujjar community's demands, 
said Srivastava.
Police repeatedly opened fire on violent protests by the community on Friday 
and Saturday in half a dozen villages and towns in western Rajasthan state.
Thousands of army, police and paramilitary forces patrolled villages to 
control the violence.
After Gujjar leaders rejected the Rajasthan state government's offer of 
talks, the government ordered forces Monday to clear the highways and rail 
tracks and restore traffic flows, said Vijay Shankar Singh, the state home 
secretary.
Twenty-one people were killed in clashes Saturday when police in Sikandra 
town fired at protesters who torched a police station and two buses Saturday 
and also shot and wounded a policeman, said Amanjit Singh Gill, Rajasthan's 
director-general of police.
Fifteen demonstrators died Friday when police fired live ammunition and tear 
gas to halt rioting, said Singh. A police officer was also beaten to death.
At least 70 injured people have been hospitalized in Jaipur, the state 
capital, and the town of Dosa, said Singh.
Gujjars took to the streets after a government panel set up to look into 
their demands recommended a US$70 million (euro45 million) aid package for 
their community, but ruled out caste reclassification.
Gujjars are considered part of the second-lowest group, known as Other 
Backward Classes, a step up from the Scheduled Tribes and Castes.
The Hindu caste system was outlawed soon after independence from Britain in 
1947, but its influence remains powerful and the government awards aid 
packages to different groups.
Twenty-six people died in Gujjar riots in the same area last year.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1407406.php/Indias_Rajasthan_tense_as_protest_death_toll_reaches_35

India's Rajasthan tense as protest death toll reaches 35
May 25, 2008, 8:28 GMT
New Delhi - The ethnic Gujjar community protested in India's north-western 
Rajasthan state on Sunday as the death toll from clashes with police reached 
35, officials and news reports said.
At least 18 people were killed and over 20 injured when the police fired on 
a group of Gujjar protestors in Sikandra in the Dausa district, about 80 
kilometres west of state capital Jaipur on Saturday, an official at the 
police control room in Jaipur said.
One policeman was also killed in clashes with the mob, he said.
The Gujjars, an ethnic group who raise livestock for milk and dairy 
products, are demanding to be classified as a scheduled tribe to qualify for 
government jobs and quotas in schools.
Police fired on protestors in Bayana in Bharatpur district Friday, killing 
15. One policeman was killed by the mob. Bayana is located 155 kilometres 
east of Jaipur.
In both cases, mobs set ablaze police stations and attacked policemen who 
retaliated with live ammunition after teargas shells and rubber pellets 
failed to disperse the mobs, officials were quoted as saying.
Rajasthan Chief Miister Vasundhara Raje invited the Gujjar leader KS 
Bainsla, a former Indian army colonel, for talks. Bainsla has reportedly 
refused the offer and asked for a government envoy to be sent to Bayana, 
NDTV reported.
The Gujjars blockaded the Agra-Jaipur highway near Sikandra and the rail 
track on the Delhi-Mumbai route, Rajasthan Home Minister GC Kataria was 
quoted as saying.
They also tried to block the highway connecting Jaipur with Delhi and other 
highways in the state.
More than 6,000 people were squatting on the rail track near Dhumaria 
village, Rajasthan police chief AS Gill said. 'We are working out a strategy 
to disperse them,' he said. adding that the army had been called in to help.
The Rajasthan government has banned gatherings of more than four people and 
tightened security measures in 10 districts, including Jaipur.
The Gujjar community are currently included in the 'other backward classes' 
list. They want to be downgraded and classified as a scheduled tribe to 
qualify for special benefits.
Under India's affirmative action policy, quotas have been set for government 
jobs and admission to schools for disadvantaged sections of society who are 
listed as scheduled tribes and scheduled castes.
The latest violence comes a year after protests by Gujjars in Rajasthan 
claimed 26 lives.
The state's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had then reached an 
understanding with the Gujjar leaders saying their demand would be followed 
up.
The Gujjar leaders claim the BJP promised to give them scheduled tribe 
status before local elections in 2003. The state government said such a 
decision can only be taken by the federal government.
The BJP government is also in a quandary as another dominant tribal group in 
the state, the Meenas, who have scheduled tribe status, do not want the same 
to be given to the Gujjars.
Gujjar leaders vowed Sunday to continue the protests and spread to other 
areas until their demand was met.
Thousands of Gujjars gathered at Sikandra where the bodies of their dead 
community members were being kept.
'We have been fooled by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state 
for long. This time we want our demand to be accepted,' Bainsla was quoted 
as saying.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1168973

Protesters damage pipelines, water supply to Dausa cut off
PTI
Thursday, June 05, 2008  15:49 IST

DAUSA (Raj): Gujjar protesters on Thursday damaged two major pipelines 
cutting off drinking water supply to Dausa city and neighbouring areas, 
which have been hit by the stir for ST status.
About hundred metres of two large pipes were ruptured at Jasota village, 25 
kms from Dausa, police said. The village borders the neighbouring district 
of Alwar.

The pipelines provide 70 lakh litres of water to the Dausa region, a senior 
engineer in the Public Health and Engineering Department said. The repair 
works have been taken up and the damaged pipelines were being replaced, he 
said.

While a 10 inch pipeline is expected to be repaired by late this evening, 
the 18 pipeline would take a day or two for resumption of normal water 
supply, he said.

With several areas going dry, tankers have been pressed into service to 
provide drinking water. Nearly 10 villages in this area have been badly hit.

Pumps were also installed at Banganga reservoir to supply water to the 
affected areas.

Security personnel have been deployed to keep a watch on major water 
pipelines in Dausa region.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/03/asia/AS-GEN-India-Caste-Riots.php

Low-caste Indian group starts cremating dead protesters after 12 days of 
violence

The Associated Press
Published: June 3, 2008

JAIPUR, India: Members of one of India's lower castes on Tuesday cremated 
some of the 43 people killed during 12 days of violent demonstrations in the 
country's north and west, police said.
The Gujjar tribe began protesting May 23 to pressure the government to 
reclassify them as members of the lowest caste, so they can benefit from 
government quotas in higher education and the civil service.
Most of the 43 people killed were shot by police during protests in the 
western state of Rajasthan, while one policeman died after a beating and one 
protester was trampled to death. Most of the deaths took place during the 
first two days of protests.
Caste members cremated five bodies Tuesday in Rajasthan's Bayana, one of the 
centers of the violent demonstrations, local superintendent of police Rohit 
Mahajan said.
Before then, the protesters had refused to allow the bodies of any 
protesters killed to undergo autopsies or be cremated, and instead used the 
cadavers to block roads and rail tracks, Mahajan said.
Relatives removed 11 other bodies to be cremated later, he said.
Forensic teams were conducting autopsies on 14 other bodies, police official 
Jose Mohan said.
Police provided no details for the other bodies.
Hundreds of police continued to patrol areas where the protests continued. 
Gujjar villagers blocked roads and rail tracks for a 12th consecutive day 
between the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur and Agra, home to the world 
famous Taj Mahal, according to Umesh Misra, the area's inspector general of 
police.
The riots began after a government panel recommended a US$70 million (€45 
million) aid package for the Gujjar community, but ruled out caste 
reclassification.
Gujjars are considered part of the second-lowest group, known as Other 
Backward Classes, a step up from the Scheduled Tribes and Castes, the lowest 
classification.
Soon after India's independence from Britain in 1947 it became illegal to 
discriminate against someone based on the Hindu caste system. But its 
influence remains powerful and the government sets quotas for jobs and 
university spots for the different caste groups.
Twenty-six people died in Gujjar riots in Rajasthan last year.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/B339215.htm

India quota protesters cremate dead, block trains
03 Jun 2008 08:47:34 GMT
Source: Reuters
JAIPUR, India, June 2 (Reuters) - An ethnic Indian group demanding job 
quotas began cremating on Tuesday dozens of people killed by police, but 
continued blocking rail and road traffic in a western Indian state, the 
centre of days of violent protests.
The ethnic Gujjars are fighting to be reclassified further down India's 
complex Hindu caste and status system to qualify for government jobs and 
university places reserved for such groups. The violence, which started 12 
days ago in Rajasthan state, has claimed some 40 lives, mostly protesters 
shot dead by police. Gujjars had also briefly halted traffic on highways 
into New Delhi last week.
They had refused to cremate the dead, squatting with the bodies on rail 
tracks and roads leading to New Delhi, but eventually agreed to post mortems 
and cremation.
But they seem in no mood to call off their protests. On Tuesday, hundreds of 
Gujjar women, their colourful saris drawn over their faces, damaged rail 
tracks in Rajasthan using axes and sticks.
Rail services, particularly between Rajasthan's capital Jaipur and the Taj 
Mahal town of Agra, remained disrupted for the 12th day. Some roads in the 
state continued to be blocked.
"Cremation of four (people) have been done by relatives, while others are 
likely to happen today," V.S. Singh, Rajasthan's home secretary, said.
"We have stepped up security in and around Bayana and Sikandra," he said, 
referring to two Rajasthan towns at the centre of the Gujjar protests.
India's government reserves about half of all seats in state colleges and 
universities for lower castes and tribal groups to flatten centuries-old 
social hierarchies, in what has been called the world's biggest affirmative 
action scheme.
The Gujjars fall into the Other Backward Classes grouping and seek to be 
reclassified under the Scheduled Tribes and Castes grouping.
The scheme has been criticised for accentuating caste identities in India, 
where discrimination on caste is banned in the constitution.
Some critics say the quota system masks India's failure to provide good 
universal education and social equality.
A year ago, Gujjars in Rajasthan fought police and members of another caste 
that already qualifies for job quotas. At least 26 people were killed in 
that violence.
After these protests, a state government committee said it would spend 2.8 
billion rupees ($67 million) improving schools, clinics, roads and other 
infrastructure in Gujjar areas. But Gujjars rejected this option. (Writing 
by Krittivas Mukherjee; Editing by Simon Denyer and Sanjeev Miglani_

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/12yearold-pays-for-gujjar-protests-with-his-eye/65980-3.html?xml

12-year-old pays for Gurjar protests with his eye
Swati Vashishta / CNN-IBN
Published on Mon, May 26, 2008 at 09:23, Updated at Tue, May 27, 2008 in 
Nation section

CHILD BLINDED: Chuttan, the youngest victim has yet to come to terms with 
what he has lost forever.

Jaipur: Among the 35 Gurjar protestors who have died in the police firing, 
there is a little boy in Bayana who is injured and has lost an eye.
Out of curiosity, the 12-year-old boy, Chuttan went to the railway tracks 
where the Gurjar protestors were meeting. He wanted to see what all the 
grown-ups were doing with batons in their hands.
He was looking for water when the police opened fire. All he recalls is 
something slicing open his right eye and after bouts of unbearable pain, 
Chuttan woke up in a hospital.
“I went to see that the drama. There were lots of people and police. I was 
having water when the police fired and I got injured,” says Chuttan.
The little boy wonders when he would be able to say goodbye to the hospital 
and when the food his mother cooks will replace the biscuits he is eating 
now. And what worries him is whether he would be able to do what he loves 
most, going to the city and catching a movie.
His brother now repents not bringing Chuttan to Jaipur as he had earlier 
planned.
“I was bringing him to Jaipur on May 17th with me but then we dropped the 
idea. In his last summer break also, he was with me. This time I did not 
bring him. Little did I know that this would happen,” says Chuttan's 
brother, Mukat Singh.
While the doctors say he's lost his right eye for good, Chuttan will undergo 
a surgery on Monday.
Whether the Gurjars get something out of the agitation or not remains to be 
seen. However, Chuttan the youngest victim has yet to come to terms with 
what he has lost forever.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/314544.html

Pilot says govt not letting him near protests
Express News Service
Posted online: Monday, May 26, 2008 at 0120 hrs Print Email

JAIPUR: : Dausa MP Sachin Pilot, who is in Jaipur, has accused the Rajasthan 
government of not letting him visit Sikandara that falls under his 
constituency. The Gurjjar leader has been visiting hospitals in the city 
where 14 victims of police firing on protestors are still awaiting 
postmortem. Pilot pointed out that because of the delay, the families had 
not been able to perform the last rites. He also claimed that most of the 
injured he had visited had bullet wounds on their backs, proving that they 
were innocents who had been fired at when they had had gone to help those 
injured. While emphasising that he objected to violence in any form, whether 
by the police or the protestors, Pilot added: “The state government, it 
appears, first fires at protestors, the administration then comes in and 
finally the political talks are initiated, while common sense says it should 
be the other way round.”

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/gurjar-stir-rajasthan-top-cop-removed--protest-in-ne-soon/66353-3.html?xml

Gurjar stir: Rajasthan top cop removed | protest in NE soon
Press Trust Of India
Published on Sat, May 31, 2008 at 16:51, Updated at Sat, May 31, 2008 in 
Nation section

PROTEST ON: The Gurjar community in the North East will also take up the 
agitation.

Jaipur Director General of Police A S Gill has been asked to proceed on long 
leave, home department sources said on Saturday.
The charge has been handed over to K S Bains who is currently holding the 
post of special DG (Anti-Corruption Bureau).
Sources said the state government was unhappy over Gill's handling of the 
Gurjar clashes in which over 42 people have been killed.
"We are not trying to send any signal," Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria 
said when asked about the move.
"This is something between the Chief Minister and the cop. It is his 
decision to quit. I think it is quite natural for him to take the step after 
the incidents of deaths," he told a news channel.

However, Gill was not available for comments.
Gurjar showdown in North East soon
As the quota protests of the Gurjars spread to fresh areas, the community in 
the North East will also take up the cudgels, launching an agitation in 
support of the cause.
"Rajasthan Government has betrayed the Gurjars. In spite of the protests, 
both the Rajasthan Government and the Centre have been indifferent so far," 
a representative of the Gurjars Bhai Gurjar said.
Representatives of the community from the entire region met at Guwahati on 
Friday to chalk out a programme to join the protests.
While the Gurjars of the North-East resolved to form an apex organization of 
the community in a day or two, the community has also sought permission from 
the Assam and Meghalaya government to allow them to stage peaceful 
demonstrations, he said.

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/02/stories/2008060259591500.htm

Autopsies to be done at Gujjar protest sites
Mohammed Iqbal
Bodies kept in hospitals sent to two sites; doctors’ teams waiting for 
go-ahead from officials

— Photo: AP

DEMAND MET: Gujjars receive bodies of police firing victims, near the 
blocked railway tracks at Bayana town in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan on 
Sunday.
JAIPUR: In the first indication of the crisis being resolved, the Rajasthan 
government on Sunday acceded to the demand of agitating Gujjars to conduct 
the post-mortem on the bodies of victims of police firing at the three sites 
of ongoing protests in Pilupura, Sikandra and Kushalipura and sent the 18 
bodies kept in hospital mortuaries to two of the sites.
While 20 bodies of firing victims were lying in the open, 14 bodies were in 
Sawai Man Singh Hospital’s mortuary in Jaipur and four in the Bharatpur 
Government Hospital. The autopsy by the medical boards sent from Jaipur and 
Sawai Madhopur was likely to start late in the evening.
State Principal Secretary S.N. Thanvi, camping at Bayana in Bharatpur 
district, said the bodies would be handed over to relatives after autopsy. 
Arrangements for power generators and floodlights were made and temporary 
tents erected at the sites of post-mortem.
Mr. Thanvi said three teams comprising three doctors each were waiting for a 
go-ahead from the district administration near the railway track at 
Pilupura, where Gujjar supremo Kirori Singh Bainsla was sitting on a vigil 
with 12 bodies. The District Magistrate’s permission is required for 
post-mortem after sunset.
Agitators have placed huge slabs of ice on the bodies.
The bodies from the S.M.S. Hospital here, sent to Sikandra under police 
protection, were accompanied by doctors and the former pradhan from Dausa, 
Shobhna Gujjar.
The agitators were insisting on bringing all the bodies to the site to 
enable the community representatives monitor the process of autopsy.
The demand for post-mortem on bodies of those killed in the 10 days of 
violence at the sites of agitation arose after a couple of Cabinet Ministers 
raised doubts about the deaths caused by bullets from the guns of policemen. 
It was suspected that some of the victims were hit by shrapnel from other 
types of guns.
After the Gujjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti laid down conditions for 
post-mortem, the State government wrote to the All-India Institute of 
Medical Sciences for constituting a medical team for the purpose. The AIIMS 
authorities turned down the request.
Even though the process for autopsy started at the three locations of sit-in 
protests, Gujjar leader Bainsla indicated to reporters at Pilupura that the 
agitation would not be affected by it and continue until the government sent 
a letter to the Centre recommending the inclusion of Gujjar community in the 
Scheduled Tribes category.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP and scion of the Bharatpur royal family, 
Vishvendra Singh, arrived at Pilupura on what he described as his “personal 
mission” to break the impasse and take Gujjars into confidence. He was 
accompanied by BJP leader Devi Singh Bhati.
With several major roads and rail routes blocked by the agitators, train and 
vehicular traffic continued to be affected. However, the situation was 
largely peaceful.

http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/05/30/0805301148_gujjars.html

Fuel rationing in areas hit by Gujjar protests Friday, May 30, 2008 11:42 
[IST]
Karwadi / Bayana: Fuel rationing was today imposed in Karwadi and Bayana by 
the district authorities in a bid to check the movement of Gujjar protesters 
as their agitation entered the eighth day here.
"The collector has ordered a stipulated amount of 10 litres of diesel and 
one litre of petrol to vehicles in all tehsil areas except district 
headquarters," District Supply Officer A Punia told PTI over telephone from 
Bharatpur.
A vehicle can only get a full tank at Bharatpur, he said.
Supply of essential food items has not been hit in Bayana, but authorities 
said that the situation could worsen if the agitation continues.
The shopkeepers in Bayana rue their business has gone down since the 
agitation as it had hit the truck traffic in the district. "I read about the 
agitation in the newspapers. I felt that I should visit the area and also 
let my children see what all is happening here," a woman came from Surote in 
the district said.
As the agitation entered its eight day, curious villagers from adjoining 
districts of Karauli and Bharatpur are reaching here to express solidarity 
with the protesters who are being led by 70-year-old Kirori Singh Bainsla, a 
retired army colonel.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/316692.html

Gurjjar protest: 2 killed in Rajasthan
Agencies / Express News Service
Posted online: Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 2255 hrs Print Email
12 injured in Uttar Pradesh; Union Home Minister chairs a meeting to find 
solution
Jaipur/New Delhi, May 30: Even as Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on 
Friday examined legal aspects of the ST status demanded by Gurjjars at a 
high-level meeting, the agitation kept on taking more lives as the police 
opened fire at violent protestors killing two of them and injuring two 
others during a road blockade in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur district.

Chances of an early end to the stand-off between Gurjjars and Rajasthan 
Government appeared remote with Gurjjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla ruling 
out a dialogue unless the state Government first accepted their demand. His 
remarks came a day after Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje made a fresh offer 
of talks with the agitators.
Four policemen were also injured in clashes with the protestors, who had 
been blocking stretches of the road connecting Sawai Madhopur with Sheopur 
in Madhya Pradesh since Thursday, an official spokesman said. The firing 
happened after the protestors pelted police personnel with stones at Usali 
Darra, 12 kms from Sawai Madhopur. The deceased were identified as Kanahia 
Lal and Radhyeshyam.
In Uttar Pradesh, about 12 people, including some policemen and journalists, 
were injured as protesting Gurjjars clashed with securitymen near Asafabad 
area. Police lathicharged a mob led by local Samajwadi Party leaders 
squatting on railway tracks.
The mob threw stones as police tried to clear the track and indulged in 
arson, setting a police jeep and three motorcycles ablaze. Superintendent of 
Police Vijay Shankar Singh said though the situation was under control, a 
roadways bus was damaged and 20 people were arrested.
As many as 43 people have so far been killed in police firing and violence 
since the agitation, spearheaded by Bainsla, began last week. Now, it has 
spread to areas in neighbouring Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and the National 
Capital Region.
In a firefighting exercise, Home Minister elicited views of the Law Ministry 
on the matter during the meeting which discussed options to defuse the 
situation. He was briefed by senior officials of the Law Ministry and the 
Tribal Affairs Ministry. National Security Adviser M K Narayanan, Cabinet 
Secretary K M Chandrashekhar and Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta were also 
present at the meeting, sources said.
Sources said views of states having sizeable Gurjjar population were being 
taken as any decision on according ST status to the community was likely to 
have wide-ranging ramifications. They said the Rajasthan Chief Minister’s 
letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recommending four to six per cent 
quota for Gurjjars in the category of de-notified class of tribals/nomadic 
tribe was also under consideration.
Raje, however, came in for sharp attack from the CPI(M) on Friday as it 
accused the BJP Government in Rajasthan of having a “murderous record” and 
demanded her resignation for her “gruesome record of ordering 50 police 
firings” during her tenure.
“This is a Chief Minister who believes she has a divine right to rule... 
like a feudal ruler. She has deployed the Army... We want her resignation 
owning up the responsibility for firing on the Gurjjar agitators,” CPI(M) 
General Secretary Prakash Karat told reporters in New Delhi.

http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/05/29/0805291920_gujjars_protest.html

Gujjars protest leaves Delhi residents fuming Thursday, May 29, 2008 19:16 
[IST]
New Delhi: People in Delhi faced a tough time in commuting from one place to 
another Thursday as hundreds of agitating Gujjars took to the streets and 
blocked all roads and highways entering the national capital.
The Gujjars, fighting for Schedule Tribe status, blocked the major 
arteries - Mathura Road, National Highway 8, M.G. Road, D.N.D. flyway, Noida 
Link Road, National Highway 24, Loni Road, Wazirabad Road, GT Road and also 
parts of the Ring Road.
They blocked the roads for at least four hours and burnt tyres and effigies. 
At some places like Aya Nagar and Mehrauli in south Delhi, they threw stones 
at police personnel and clashed with them. Police had to resort to lobbing 
tear gas shells to disperse the mobs.
Over 120 people were detained from several parts in the national capital. 
Traffic movement could be restored only in the afternoon.
"It's a virtual house arrest. I could not move out of the home fearing for 
life. Why do we allow such people to create ruckus in the city?" complained 
Manish Sharma, a west Delhi based chartered account.
"Because of unrest I could not meet many of my clients," he added.
Rakesh Verma, an employee of a software firm in south Delhi, said: "Our 
employer had already advised us not to come to office on Thursday. He did 
not want us to risk our lives in case the protest turned violent."
Sarita Gulati, a student in a business administration college in Gurgaon, 
had to wait for nearly two hours in her car in Mehrauli of south Delhi on 
her way to the capital's satellite township.
"I got scared when I saw a mob pelting stones at the police personnel, who 
were trying to remove them from the road. The mob completely jammed the road 
leaving no space to move my car on either side. I had to request a policeman 
for help and he took me to a safe place," Gulati said.
The Gujjar community has been holding a second round of protests in 
Rajasthan since Friday. At least 37 people were killed, mostly in police 
firing, in the weekend as police used force to control mobs.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1408422.php/Three_killed_in_protests_over_quotas_in_Indias_Rajasthan

Three killed in protests over quotas in India's Rajasthan
May 30, 2008, 11:02 GMT
New Delhi - At least three people were killed Friday when ethnic Gujjar 
protestors clashed with police in India's north-western state of Rajasthan, 
news reports said.
The Gujjars, who raise livestock and sell dairy products, have been holding 
protests since May 23 demanding to be classified as a scheduled tribe to 
qualify for government jobs and quotas in schools.
The 50 million Gujjars want to be downgraded in official social status in 
order to benefit from India's affirmative action policy.
The NDTV network reported that police opened fire and killed three 
protestors in the Sawai Madhopur district, 150 kilometres south-east of 
state capital Jaipur.
Police said they fired to disperse agitators who were blocking roads in the 
area since Thursday. Two villagers and four policemen were also injured in 
the clash, other reports said.
The Gujjars have resorted to blocking road and rail traffic, destroying 
public property and attacking policemen across Rajasthan to exert pressure 
on the state government to accept their demand.
On Thursday, Gujjar protestors also blocked roads and highways in and around 
the capital New Delhi.
Friday's clashes brought the death toll in the 40, mostly Gujjars who were 
by police in street skirmishes.
The Rajasthan state government said Friday it had decided to open talks with 
Gujjar leaders, local news outlets reported.

http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/may/29sl1.htm

Gujjar protests reach Delhi's streets
May 29, 2008

Text: Onkar Singh & PTI

Members of the Gujjar community, who had threatened to take their agitation 
to New Delhi, blocked the various national highways leading to Delhi on 
Thursday and staged massive traffic blockades at various places.
The Centre deployed over 45,000 officers and men of paramilitary forces to 
prevent any untoward incidents during the agitation by Gujjars, who have 
been demanding Scheduled Tribe status for their community.
They are also marking the anniversary of the clashes last year, which had 
claimed 13 lives.
The protestors blocked the Delhi-Gazipur Road since the morning, resulting 
in massive traffic jams. The protestors finally allowed the vehicles to turn 
back and take alternate routes to the capital.

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=364758

Gujjar protests hit Delhi, parts of north India

IANS     Thursday 29th May, 2008
Tens of thousands of Gujjars took to the streets Thursday in north India in 
support of their community's demand for tribal status in Rajasthan, blocking 
all roads leading to the national capital and paralysing road and train 
traffic in parts of the region amid some violence.

Clashes erupted between the police and protestors who burnt tyres at Aya 
Nagar and on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road in south Delhi. The police fired tear 
gas to disperse the mobs and detained around 50 people.

In most places, however, the protests by the Gujjar community passed off 
peacefully although it led to a virtual paralysis of Delhi's border regions, 
halting traffic to and from the city in the morning for a good four hours.

The situation began returning to normalcy after noon as the Gujjars -- who 
formed human chains to stop road traffic and squatted on railway tracks 
blocking trains -- started to disperse after shouting slogans against the 
Rajasthan government.

It was a show of strength by the mainly rural Gujjar community in support of 
their kin in Rajasthan, where 37 people have been killed in violent protests 
this month demanding that Gujjars be classified a Scheduled Tribe (ST) 
community to secure educational and job quotas.

The Rajasthan government is ready for talks with the community. But its 
leaders have vowed not to call off their campaign until the authorities 
kneel. Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu region and western Uttar Pradesh are 
home to millions of Gujjars.

The situation in the capital was serious enough for the US embassy to warn 
its citizens about traffic disruptions in New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and 
Haryana. It advised them 'to maintain a low profile, and avoid areas of 
traffic disruptions and political protest'.

Traffic has been badly hit between New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, three cities 
that form the Golden Triangle, the most popular tourist triangle in India. 
In Rajasthan, hotels have reported mass cancellations.

Vehicular movement in much of western Uttar Pradesh was paralysed. Highways 
from Ghaziabad to Lucknow, the Uttar Pradesh capital, and Dehradun, the 
Uttarakhand capital, were under blockade at various places.

The Gujjar protests also led to train blockade in Jammu region. But this 
ended when the authorities pleaded that this would inconvenience pilgrims to 
the Vaishno Devi hill shrine.

Said community leader Shah Mohammad: 'Gujjars in Jammu and Kashmir are 
Muslims. But we are indebted to the Hindu Gujjars who supported us when we 
asked for Scheduled Tribe status.'

Among the worst hit areas around New Delhi were its satellite towns: Gurgaon 
and Noida, which are home to many multinationals and call centres, and 
Faridabad.

Thousands of policemen from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as well as 
paramilitary forces were deployed in and around New Delhi. Police said they 
did not lift road blockades by force as that could have sparked violence.

The Delhi-Jaipur national highway that passes through Gurgaon was reportedly 
the only major inter-state road that remained open in the morning. The busy 
Gurgaon-Mehrauli road, the Mathura Road that connects Faridabad to Delhi, 
the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) expressway and the National Highways 24 and 58 
that connect Ghaziabad to Delhi came under blockade, with thousands of 
vehicles piling up.

About two dozen trains were stuck between Aligarh and Ghaziabad in Uttar 
Pradesh as the protesters squatted on the railway tracks.

The latest disruption to railway services comes on top of the large-scale 
cancellation and diversion of trains connecting New Delhi and Mumbai which 
pass through Gujjar areas of Rajasthan.

'Vehicular movement on Noida-Greater Noida Expressway was totally stopped,' 
said Raj Kumar Bhati, national convener of a Gujjar activist group.

Rajasthan, where the Gujjar protests broke out a week ago, was mostly calm 
Thursday. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had thousands of pamphlets dropped 
over areas where the protests are taking places, asking the Gujjars to end 
their campaign.

The army and paramilitary forces are patrolling many districts in Rajasthan 
including Bharatpur, Dausa, Sawai Madhopur and Karauli.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/no-dignity-in-death-for-gurjar-riot-victims/66165-3.html?xml

No dignity in death for Gurjar riot victims
Divya Iyer / CNN-IBN
Published on Wed, May 28, 2008 at 22:49, Updated at Thu, May 29, 2008 in 
Nation section

Essential supplies have been affected with Gurjars threatening to stop milk 
supply.
Sikandra (Rajasthan): The Gurjar violence in Rajasthan claimed the lives of 
more than 39 people, including many from the community itself. But the dead 
are still waiting for a proper cremation and those alive have no news of the 
dead.
Twenty-six-year-old Kamot Gujjar’s husband Dharam Singh left the house five 
days ago and hasn’t still returned.
Her daughters Sulekha and Tulsi have been told that their father has gone to 
town to buy sweets. Kamot herself thinks he got hurt in the police firing 
and is currently in a hospital in Jaipur.
Like Kamot, many other women in Sikandra too believe that their sons and 
husbands are in the hospital in Jaipur and will return soon. But the truth 
is they are dead.
Dharam Singh was killed in police firing five days ago. Villagers fear that 
an emotional reaction might hamper the agitation.
Says Dharam’s friend Man Singh Burja, “If we tell the women of the death of 
their menfolk, our movement will be weakened."
The Gurjars are trying to guard their dead and protect the living at the 
same time.
The government is not returning the bodies though the post-mortem has been 
conducted in Jaipur.
The families continue to live between hope and despair.

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid=364760

Gujjars hold protest in Jammu

IANS     Thursday 29th May, 2008
Scores of Gujjars marched in a procession in Jammu and attempted to block 
the railway tracks by squatting on them, to express their solidarity with 
community members in Rajasthan agitating for inclusion in the Scheduled 
Tribe list.

The rallyists raised slogans in support of the demand of Rajasthan's Gujjars 
as they marched to the railway track and staged a sit-in. However, they were 
persuaded to move off the railway tracks by the authorities who pleaded with 
them that it would cause great inconvenience to Vaishno Devi pilgrims.

'We have registered our protest. But this is not the end of it,' said Shah 
Mohammad, general secretary of the Gujjar United Front, which organised the 
protest.

He said the next step would be a relay hunger strike outside the governor's 
residence here from Saturday. They also plan to go to Rajasthan to support 
the agitating Gujjars there.

'Gujjars in Jammu and Kashmir are Muslims, but they are indebted to the 
Hindu Gujjars who offered us their support when we were asking for Scheduled 
Tribe status.'

Jammu and Kashmir Gujjars were granted ST status in 1991.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/29/india.caste/index.html?eref=rss_latest

May 29, 2008 -- Updated 1406 GMT (2206 HKT)

Class protests bring disruption to India
Story Highlights
Gujjar community demanding a bigger share of government jobs and education
Group members burned effigies, squatted on railroad tracks and blocked 
highways
Gujjars are part of India's centuries-old, complex social caste order
Several days of clashes between Gujjars and police left at least 35 people 
dead

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Members of an Indian ethnic community burned 
effigies, squatted on railroad tracks and blocked highways Thursday in an 
attempt to bring part of the country to a halt in a protest over caste 
classification.

Protesters blocked key highways and railroads leading to New Delhi in a bid 
to cut off the national capital

The Gujjar community -- part of India's centuries-old, complex social caste 
order -- are in their seventh straight day of demonstrations to demand a 
bigger share of government jobs and education benefits.
Several days of clashes between Gujjars and police have left at least 35 
people dead.
On Thursday, more than 35,000 police officers fanned out across the capital 
city of New Delhi and surrounding areas to maintain peace during the 
'bandh,' or shutdown.
By 1 p.m., major arteries joining Delhi to surrounding cities had reopened.
In the Gujjar's home state of Rajasthan -- where the protests began last 
week -- Thursday's shutdown appeared to have been only partially successful.
Some shopkeepers shuttered their stores and universities postponed exams. 
But many government buildings remained open.
Railway officials canceled 16 train routes, stranding thousands, said 
Northern Railway spokesman Rajesh Khare.
The Rajasthan government airdropped pamphlets asking demonstrators to 
refrain from violence. But protesters picked up the pink-colored pamphlets 
and made a bonfire of them, state news agency The Press Trust of India said.
The demonstration commemorates the anniversary of a similar Gujjar protest 
last year that claimed at least 25 lives.
Don't Miss
Class violence leaves 35 dead in India
India's constitution outlaws caste-based discrimination, and barriers have 
broken down in large cities. Prejudice, however, persists in some rural 
areas of the country.
As a result, the Indian government has put in place an affirmative action 
plan that sets aside job and educational quotas for the disadvantaged groups 
that it classifies as Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes.
These communities, the government believes, needs extra assistance to 
overcome centuries of discrimination.
Gujjars -- a farming and trading tribe -- are classified by the government 
as an "unscheduled tribe." They are part of the caste system that does not 
face as much exclusion or discrimination.
But the community feels it has been economically and educationally left 
behind and it wants to be reclassified at a lower level -- as a scheduled 
tribe.
As a scheduled tribe, it can gain access to government jobs and benefits, as 
well as a shot at university seats allocated to the disadvantaged.
After last year's violent clashes, the ruling political party in 
Rajasthan -- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- made a promise of 
downgrading the Gujjars.
With elections scheduled for later this year, the party is under pressure to 
placate the Gujjars.

It has said the onus of changing status falls on India's central government. 
The central government, in turn, said it has referred the issue to the Law 
Ministry.
Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla has accused the two sides of "time buying 
tactics."

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09492587.htm

Indian quota protesters call off nationwide strike
09 Jun 2008 16:39:10 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Recasts with protests being called off, quotes)
JAIPUR, India, June 9 (Reuters) - An Indian minority community demanding job 
quotas called off plans for a nationwide strike after talks with authorities 
on Monday, officials and leaders said.
At least 40 people have been killed since the Gujjars began their protests 
last month in the western state of Rajasthan. Most of the dead are Gujjars 
shot by the police.
They had decided to take to the streets on Tuesday and shut down businesses 
and shops, but withdrew their strike call after talks with the state 
government in the town of Bayana.
"We have withdrawn our strike call because of positive discussions during 
the meeting," Ramveer Singh, a senior Gujjar leader, told reporters late on 
Monday. He said protests would continue until the Gujjars' demands were met.
L.N. Dave, a Rajasthan minister who attended the meeting, said talks to 
resolve the issue would continue.
Members of the community are demanding that their place in the Indian caste 
system be downgraded so they can qualify for government jobs and university 
places reserved for such groups.
India reserves about half of all government jobs and seats in state colleges 
for people born into lower castes and tribal groups, who tend to be poorer 
than other Indians.
A year ago, Gujjars fought police and members of another caste that 
qualifies for job quotas. At least 25 people died in the clashes.
After these protests, a state government committee decided that the Gujjars 
should not be downgraded, but said the government would spend 2.8 billion 
rupees ($67 million) improving schools, clinics and roads in Gujjar areas.
Gujjar leaders rejected this. For the last two weeks, Gujjars have been 
blocking roads and railways and torching government vehicles.
Soldiers and policemen were patrolling many districts of Rajasthan to 
control violence on Monday, officials said.
Dozens of long-distance trains continued to be cancelled or diverted due to 
the continuing protests. (Writing by Bappa Majumdar; Editing by Kevin 
Liffey)

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1410231.php/Stalemate_in_talks_to_end_tribe_protests_in_India

Stalemate in talks to end tribe protests in India
Jun 10, 2008, 8:45 GMT
New Delhi - Talks between India's north-western Rajasthan state and the 
minority Gujjar community to end two weeks of Gujjar protests have hit an 
impasse after starting on a positive note, news reports said Tuesday.
The Gujjars, who raise livestock and sell dairy products, have been holding 
protests since May 23 to exert pressure on the state government to accept 
their demand to be classified as a scheduled tribe to qualify for government 
jobs and quotas in schools.
More than 40 Gujjars were killed in clashes between demonstrators and police 
in Rajasthan. The Gujjars want to be downgraded in official social status in 
order to benefit from India's affirmative action policy.
Talks that opened between a 37-member Gujjar delegation and Rajasthan 
ministers in the eastern Bayana town on Monday evening had ended on a 
conciliatory note, the Hindustan Times daily reported.
As a result of headway made in the preliminary discussions, the Gujjar 
leadership called off a nationwide strike planned for Tuesday and said they 
would hold further talks with the government.
But Gujjar leader KS Bainsla on Tuesday made fresh demands as a 
pre-condition for further talks, nullifying efforts by officials to end the 
Gujjar agitation.
Quoting senior officials, the PTI reported that Bainsla had demanded the 
withdrawal of murder charges against 20 protestors and release of arrested 
female activists as pre-conditions for talks.
A written commitment by Bainsla about holding the next round of talks was 
also retracted, the report said.
During the talks on Monday, the Rajasthan government agreed to stop police 
raids in Gujjar-dominated villages and restore water and electricity 
supplies in the areas which were turned off to break the protests.
As for their main demand that the state government recommend their case for 
job quotas to the federal government, the Gujjar leaders said they had 
reminded the government ministers to accept their plea.
In the violent protests spread over the desert state, Gujjar demonstrators 
disrupted train services, destroyed public property and attacked police 
stations leading to the clashes.
The latest violence came one year after protests by Gujjars in Rajasthan 
claimed 26 lives.

http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=447081&sid=REG

Gujjars resolve to intensify stir; to hold series of protests
New Delhi, June 05: The agitating Gujjars on Thursday threatened to boycott 
BJP in the upcoming Rajasthan assembly and Lok Sabha elections if their 
demand for scheduled tribe status is not met.

At a 'mahapanchayat' organised here under the aegis of Akhil Bharatiya 
Gujjar Sangharsh Samiti, the protesters also chalked out a series of 
protests, including a nationwide bandh and a march to Rajasthan.

The date for the nationwide bandh will be announced in the next five days.

The resolutions to this effect was passed at the mahapanchayat.

Addressing a huge gathering of Gujjars, Samiti national president Sukhbir 
Singh Jounpuria announced a financial aid of Rs five lakh to the kin of the 
deceased and monetary benefits to the injured.

Terming those who were killed in police firing in Rajasthan as "martyrs", 
the Gujjar leader also announced construction of memorials in their 
remembrance in Jaipur.

Senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, who addressed the meeting, assured them 
that he would raise the issue in the coming session of the Parliament.

Condemning the killings of Gujjars in police firing in Rajasthan, he said he 
would ask the central and state governments to resolve the matter in a 
peaceful manner.

The Gujjars also demanded filing of criminal case against Rajasthan Chief 
Minister Vasundhara Raje over the killing of members of the Gujjar 
community.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Protesters_in_Dausa_want_Pilot_to_attend_cremation/rssarticleshow/3107823.cms

Protesters in Dausa want Pilot to attend cremation
7 Jun 2008, 0152 hrs IST,TNN

JAIPUR: He was unsuccessful in reaching Sikandra on May 24, a day after 
Gujjar protests broke out in Rajasthan.

On Friday, however, Dausa MP and Congress leader Sachin Pilot is one of the 
most sought after men by the protesting community seeking ST status.

With Gujjars in Dausa insisting Pilot be present in Sikandra and take on a 
larger role in the ongoing Gujjar protests, the rift between the faction led 
by Col Kirori Singh Bainsla and the former appears to be complete.

With Gujjars from his constituency demanding his presence as a condition for 
cremating the bodies of 20 protesters killed in police firing on May 24, the 
Congress leader is expected to reach Sikandra on Saturday morning after 
which the cremation is likely to take place.

The Dausa administration, which had last time denied Pilot entry in the 
region, has agreed to allow the MP to come to Sikandra this time.

"I spoke to a few officers, who have given me verbal sanction to reach 
there," Pilot told TOI, adding that his priority was to ensure proper 
cremation of the 20 people who fell victim to police bullets. "We can talk 
about the issues but first thing I had to do was get a funeral organized."

Asked if he had emerged as leader of the Gujjar faction, Pilot said it was 
not the right time to talk politics and efforts should be to share the 
sorrow of the aggrieved families.

"I am going only to share the pain that the community was made to undergo," 
he said.

Distanced from the faction sitting at Bayana under Bainsla's leadership, 
Gujjars at Sikandra now have a fresh set of demands, including the release 
of two rebel BJP MLAs Prahalad Gunjal and Attar Singh Bhadana currently at 
Cental Jail in Jaipur.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1169175

Gujjar protesters intensify road blockades
PTI
Friday, June 06, 2008  14:25 IST

DAUSA/NEW DELHI: Unrelenting Gujjar protesters on Friday intensified road 
blockades in violence-hit
Dausa area throwing life out of gear as 27 trains passing through Rajasthan 
were cancelled by the Northern Railways.
The protesters, who were agitating against teargassing and baton charge by 
police to quell stone-pelting groups in Khuri village, 10 kms from here, on 
Thursday, set up road blocks in several areas in this district since early 
this morning, police said.
Badly hit were roads in the Bandikui area, where Gujjar men and women 
continued their blockade of a key rail track, leading to cancellation or 
diversion of several trains.
In Dausa town and neighbouring areas, where Gujjar protestors damaged 
pipelines hitting drinking water supply, work was on to restore the 
connections, they said.
Following up on the directive asking people in Bharatpur range to surrender 
their licensed weapons, the district administration has cancelled nearly 200 
arms licences, Inspector General of Police (Bharatpur Range) Umesh Mishra 
said.
Gujjar protesters also continued their blockade of the highway linking 
Rajasthan's Sawaimadhopur district with Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, reports 
reaching here said.
As many as 27 trains passing through the stir-hit state were on Friday 
cancelled and several others diverted, a Northern Railways spokesman said in 
New Delhi.
The cancellation of train services following disturbances in the Gangapur 
City-Bayana section in Kota Division has been done in view of passengers' 
safety, the spokesman said.
The trains that have been cancelled include Dehradun Express, Delhi-Nimach 
Link Express, Nizamuddin-Udaipur Intercity, August Kranti Rajdhani, Mumbai 
Janta Express, Bandra Garibrath, Gujarat Sampark Kranti, Jammu-Bandra 
Special, Bandra-Amritsar Special, Gorakhpur-Bandra Awadh Express, Ajmer 
Shatabdi and Ahmedabad Rajdhani.
Mumbai Rajdhani, Paschim Express, Bandra-Jammu Swaraj Express and Golden 
Temple Mail are among other trains that have been diverted.
Due to disruption of trains, bus services from Jaipur and other areas to 
Delhi and neighbouring regions have been facing heavy rush of passengers and 
the Rajasthan road transport authorities have pressed additional buses to 
tide over the pressure.