05-24-2008, 10:23 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>16 die in Dausa police firing </b>
Pioneer.com
Lokpal Sethi | Jaipur
As Gujjar fury refuses to ebb
At least 16 people, including a policeman, were killed when cops opened fired on agitating Gujjars at Sikandra near Dausa on Saturday, on the second day of the anti-quota agitation.
This takes the total death toll in two days of violence to 33, which includes 16 persons killed in Friday's police firing.
The Government invited Col. Kirori Singh Bainsla, convener of the Gujjar Arkshan Sangharash Samiti (GASS), for talks on Sunday. Till late night, it was not known whether he had accepted the invitation.
Sources said, Bainsla had agreed to hand over 12 bodies to the police for a post-mortem examination. Bainsla, along with thousands of Gujjars, were sitting on the rail track at Peelu Ka Pura with these bodies of persons killed in police firing, since Friday evening.
Talking to The Pioneer on phone, Bainsla, said they would not leave the place till the Government agreed to send a letter to the Centre recommending ST status for Gujjars.
The local administration was caught virtually unawares as around noon over 2000 Gujjars appeared on the road to Sikandra and put a police station afire. They blocked the Jaipur-Agra highway and fought the cops with lathis. When the situation started getting out of hand, the opened fire killing 14 agitators.
This is the same spot where the police, in a bid to clear agitators, had opened fire in which 26 people were killed on May 29 last year.
The Army, which was called in early Saturday morning at Bayana, has also moved into Dausa.
The agitation, till now confined to Peelu Ka Pura in Bayana, has spread to adjoining districts. Agitators burnt a police chowki at Gudhachanreji village in Kaurali district. Agitators also burnt a State roadways bus at Neem Ka Thana in Sikar and damaged another three buses.
Besides, railway signals at Bandikui, near Jaipur, were damaged resulting in a disruption of rail traffic on the Jaipur-Delhi route.
The situation at Peelu Ka Pura, continued to be tense with 30,000 Gujjars sitting on railway tracks with bodies of those killed. Since Saturday morning, the Gujjar had been steadily increasing.
Though the Army and the CRPF are deployed in full strength in this area, there has been no move by the administration to retrieve the dead bodies from the Gujjars. Initially the agitators had eight bodies in their possession, but when late on Friday night they came to know that four bodies were being taken for cremation in a nearby village, they rushed to the spot and snatched the bodies away from the police.
Late on Saturday, collectors and SPs of Bharatpur and Karrauli had been removed and new officers appointed.
Section 144 is in force in 11 districts, including Jaipur. In view of the violence, Rajasthan University has postponed its examinations till further notice.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Election is coming and Pilot Mom and Son are busy.
Pioneer.com
Lokpal Sethi | Jaipur
As Gujjar fury refuses to ebb
At least 16 people, including a policeman, were killed when cops opened fired on agitating Gujjars at Sikandra near Dausa on Saturday, on the second day of the anti-quota agitation.
This takes the total death toll in two days of violence to 33, which includes 16 persons killed in Friday's police firing.
The Government invited Col. Kirori Singh Bainsla, convener of the Gujjar Arkshan Sangharash Samiti (GASS), for talks on Sunday. Till late night, it was not known whether he had accepted the invitation.
Sources said, Bainsla had agreed to hand over 12 bodies to the police for a post-mortem examination. Bainsla, along with thousands of Gujjars, were sitting on the rail track at Peelu Ka Pura with these bodies of persons killed in police firing, since Friday evening.
Talking to The Pioneer on phone, Bainsla, said they would not leave the place till the Government agreed to send a letter to the Centre recommending ST status for Gujjars.
The local administration was caught virtually unawares as around noon over 2000 Gujjars appeared on the road to Sikandra and put a police station afire. They blocked the Jaipur-Agra highway and fought the cops with lathis. When the situation started getting out of hand, the opened fire killing 14 agitators.
This is the same spot where the police, in a bid to clear agitators, had opened fire in which 26 people were killed on May 29 last year.
The Army, which was called in early Saturday morning at Bayana, has also moved into Dausa.
The agitation, till now confined to Peelu Ka Pura in Bayana, has spread to adjoining districts. Agitators burnt a police chowki at Gudhachanreji village in Kaurali district. Agitators also burnt a State roadways bus at Neem Ka Thana in Sikar and damaged another three buses.
Besides, railway signals at Bandikui, near Jaipur, were damaged resulting in a disruption of rail traffic on the Jaipur-Delhi route.
The situation at Peelu Ka Pura, continued to be tense with 30,000 Gujjars sitting on railway tracks with bodies of those killed. Since Saturday morning, the Gujjar had been steadily increasing.
Though the Army and the CRPF are deployed in full strength in this area, there has been no move by the administration to retrieve the dead bodies from the Gujjars. Initially the agitators had eight bodies in their possession, but when late on Friday night they came to know that four bodies were being taken for cremation in a nearby village, they rushed to the spot and snatched the bodies away from the police.
Late on Saturday, collectors and SPs of Bharatpur and Karrauli had been removed and new officers appointed.
Section 144 is in force in 11 districts, including Jaipur. In view of the violence, Rajasthan University has postponed its examinations till further notice.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Election is coming and Pilot Mom and Son are busy.