Raje talks tough as tension runs high in Rajasthan

EYE FOR AN EYE: The most recent clash of the Gujjars with the police left several men dead.

Featured Blog

Rajdeep Sardesai

26/11: Terror comes precariously close

Featured Slideshows

Bayana: It could well be May 2007, with protests, violence, death and tears reigning in Rajasthan.

For the Gujjars in the state, there seems to be no escape from the vicious cycle, especially at a time when the dialogue has hit a roadblock.

“The Government of Rajasthan should send a specific report along with the facts and figures, which has not been sent yet,” said Colonel Bainsla, the leader of the Gujjar agitation.

Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje, meanwhile, has taken a tough stance.

“If they break the law and jeopardise the smooth running of the state, we will also take strict action,” she sternly declared.

Three days of agitation and over 30 casualties later, the most recent clash between the police and the Gujjars in Sikandra, in Dausa district, has left several young men dead. Six bodies lay on the blocked Agra-Jaipur highway and the villagers waited for more to come from Jaipur.

They maintain that the firing on the innocent crowds was unprovoked.

“This is our right, it's the right of everyone and every community to gather here or wherever they please,” said a tearful onlooker.

It is a virtual deadlock, with neither the government nor the villagers willing to settle the issue with talks and tensions are mounting further in the state.

Now, however, It is the increasing violence and police firing which is escalating the tension among the Gujjars more than the matter of reservation.