Bharatpur (Rajasthan) : On the fifth day of the Gujjar agitation, police on Monday cleared the Jaipur-Agra national highway of the protestors even as the rail track continued to be blocked amid a stand-off with the government over the community’s demand for five per cent reservation.
The stir suffered a setback in Dausa district where locals challenged the agitators and helped police in clearing the NH-11, which was blocked on Sunday, police said.
However, the Delhi-Mumbai rail route and a state highway in Sawaimadhopur district continued to be blocked by hundreds of Gujjars who are squatting to press the demand for five per cent reservation for government jobs. The Gujjars had on Monday threatened to intensify the agitation, which has mainly remained confined to Bharatpur and Dausa, and spread it across the state. Meanwhile, there was a deadlock over the venue of next round of talks between Gujjars and the government after one round held in Bayana ended in a failure.
The government had asked Gujjar representatives to come to Jaipur today to discuss the issue at length but their leader Kirori Singh Bainsla is adamant on holding the talks in Bayana only, which is nearly 15 kms away from Pilukapura where the community members have blocked the railway tracks.
