Gujjar stir: Locals confront agitators, clear NH 11 for traffic

Jaipur: Gujjar agitation on Monday met with a stiff resistance from locals in Sikandara town of Dausa district, where scores of people confronted the agitators and forced clearing of Agra-Jaipur National Highway 11 for traffic.

Locals alleged that some of agitators misbehaved with women and also robbed a few shops in Sikandara market, prompting them to challenge the Gujjars and help police to clear the highway which was blocked on Sunday, a senior police officer said.

"The agitators were outsiders and created nuisance in the area. They blocked the highway, set ablaze a roadways booking window on Sunday.

"Some women and girls were also allegedly teased and shops were robbed so the locals got united and chased the agitators away from that area," IG Jaipur DC Jain said.

The police and paramilitary forces are patrolling the highway where the traffic has been restored, the officer said.

On the other hand, the Gujjars continued to disrupt the Delhi-Mumbai railway track and a state highway in Sawaimadhopur district.

Meanwhile, Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla went to a hospital in Hindaun town for medical check up. Spokesperson of the 'Gujjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti', Himmat Singh, said that there was no specific health problem and he went for a routine check up.

Monday was the fifth day of the stir after negotiations with the Rajasthan government over their demand of five per cent quota were stalled due to disagreement over the meeting venue.

The Rajasthan government had asked the community members to hold the second round of talks in Jaipur.

However, the leaders insisted on holding the meeting in the epicentre of the agitation at Bayana town in Bharatpur, which is nearly 15 km away from Pilukapura where the protesters have been squatting on the railway tracks.

Gujjars are demanding five per cent reservation within 50 per cent of legal limit.

Police have already booked Bainsla and his supporters for rioting, sedition, damaging public property, endangering life, obstructing public way, criminal conspiracies in three cases lodged on May 21, the day when they started the agitation.