Sikandra (Dausa), May 28
One cannot walk to the site where the Gujjars are protesting here without getting one’s feet soiled with blood. Barely 500 metres from the place where thousands of Gujjars are camping with the bodies of six of their supporters, large patches of dry blood can be seen on the road.

Signs of last week’s violence that killed at least 20 Gujjars like burnt vehicles, stones and upturned streetlights can be seen strewn all over the place. And as one nears the tent in which Gujjar leaders are camping with hundreds of supporters, one realises the grimness of the situation.

The bodies are lying in wooden coffins stacked with ice, with word “shaheed” scribbled on them. The coffins are covered with daris, which are soaked with water now and then to keep the coffins’ temperature low. Every 10 minutes a protester lights a “dhoop batti” in the tent to smother stench.

The Gujjars decided to store the bodies following statements by the state government that some of the men, who reportedly died in police firing, were actually killed by the Gujjars themselves and they were injured in stone pelting and not in police firing. The Gujjars here now want autopsy of the bodies done outside the state so that the truth about how they were killed could come out.

The family members of the dead are sitting alongside the coffins and the presence of bodies is strengthening the Gujjars’ resolve to fight till the end, a fact which the state government seems to have grossly underestimated.

“Stop our food, our water, stop the ice for the bodies. Let them do whatever they (state government) want to do. Not any one of us is getting up from here till our demand for the ST status is met,” said Umrao Singh Doi, district chief of the Gujjar community.

Umrao, who is leading the agitation in Sikandra, has the support of not just the Gujjar dominated villages but also villagers belonging to some other castes. The Gujjar supporters are gathered in thousands and the leaders claim that on a single call at least one lakh people will assemble.

The state government has been trying to tire the protesters out. The district administration today reportedly forced the closure of the ice factory from where the Gujjars were being supplied ice for the bodies. The tempos smuggling the ice were also confiscated, alleged the protesters.

Most of the protesters are armed with metal poles and rods and almost restive to have a showdown with the local police, whom they abuse constantly. “The Army is fine. But it is the police that has created this situation,” explains a protester. Umrao Singh alleges that the police killed at least 23 persons last week. “Some of our men are missing,” he says, adding that three protesters were burnt alive when the police allegedly pushed them into a burning truck.

Surrounded from all sides by the Army, the CRPF and the police, which are about a kilometre away from the protest site, the Gujjars here are a determined lot. “We were promised the ST status by Vasundhra Raje before the elections, but all she has done is to take us for a ride repeatedly. Does she not see the pain on the faces of the persons whose young sons have died?” asks Umrao.

Demanding that the policemen who opened fire on the protesters should be booked for murder, Umrao points out that the firing orders were obtained from the district administration much after the incident.

New Delhi, May 28
The Congress has belatedly woken up to the Gujjar protests and decided to send a four-member team to the areas hit by the agitation, which has claimed 40 lives and affected neighbouring states as well.

The delegation comprises AICC general secretary in charge of Rajasthan Mukul Wasnik, AICC state coordinator Birendra Singh, state party chief C.P. Joshi and legislature party leader Hemaram Chaudhary. The team will submit a report to the Congress president on its return.

The Congress response comes six days after the Gujjars took to the streets to press for the ST status for the community. The party has been constrained from adopting a politically proactive approach on this sensitive issue as it has not been able to firm up a clear view on the Gujjar’s demand.

Asked about the party’s stand, Congress spokespersons have consistently evaded giving a direct answer and merely stated that the Vasundhra Raje government is not serious about this issue, as she has not followed the set procedures in forwarding the demand to the Centre.

The Congress is in a dilemma on this matter. Since it is heading the ruling coalition in New Delhi, it cannot declare its support for the Gujjar community’s demand. Not only will it open the floodgates for similar demands from other states and communities but the Congress will end up alienating the powerful Meena community in Rajasthan, which has always been at war with the Gujjars.

Congress sources say their next best option is to discredit the Vasundhara Raje government for its mishandling the situation. Although the Congress has not demanded the state government’s dismissal, it has launched a frontal attack against Raje.

Jaipur, May 28
No major incident of violence was reported from Rajasthan on the sixth day of the Gujjar agitation today.

The state has, however, tightened security for ‘Gujjar shahidi divas’ tomorrow when the protesters have planned to mark the first anniversary of the Gujjar agitatuion last year that had claimed 26 lives.

Even as the Gujjar agitation spread beyond Rajasthan today the possibility of an early solution dimmed further with the state Chief Minister virtually washing her hands off the entire issue.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has urged the Gujjars to approach the Centre directly with their demand. Following the breakdown of almost all channels of communication with the protesters, the Chief Minister issued advertisements in the local newspapers requesting them to use their wisdom, shun violence, understand the reservation procedure and come forward to settle the issue through dialogue.

She chaired a high-powered meeting here this evening to review the security arrangements for tomorrow.

At Pilupura village in Bharatpur district, where Gujjar leader Col Kirori Singh Bainsla is camping with thousands of his supporters, a two-minute silence in the memory of those killed last year and in the last few days would be observed tomorrow. At Sikandra, where the protesters have blocked the Delhi-Agra highway, Gujjar leader Umrao Singh Doi has called the Gujjars from surrounding areas to gather in large numbers.

Rail traffic was hit badly today following the cancellation of 14 trains. The cancelled trains include the Jaipur-Gwaliar Express, Mathura-Alwar-Mathura Passenger, Nizamudeen-Udaipur Express schedule to leave Nizamudeen, Hawarah-Jodhpur/Bikaner, Ahemdabad-Gorkhpur Express schedule to leave Ahemdabad and the Jodhpur/Bikaner-Hawarah Express.

The police today arrested panchayati raj minister Kalu Lal Gurjar’s son Deva Lal for his alleged questionable activities in the ongoing Gujjar agitation. The 32-year-old Deva was arrested for breach of peace. The father and the son did not see eye to eye over the issue and Deva Lal had been active in the agitation.

Units of the CRPF and the BSF were reportedly deployed outside the Chief Minister’s palace at Dholpur today following a threat by notorious Gujjar dacoit Jagan Gujjar to blow the palace up.

Agencies reported that the agitators forced shop closures in Tonk, Sawaimadhopur, Rajsamand, Rawatbhata, Pali and Deoli areas. ADGP, law and order, K.L. Bairwa, however, stated that the day had ended peacefully. The special magistrate attached with Army units at Alwar today demanded additional forces following attempts to block roads.