Jaipur: The agitation by the Gujjar community in Rajasthan's Dholpur turned violent on Sunday after after scores of protesters threw stones at police teams, prompting officers to open fire.
According to initial reports, some vehicles were also vandalised and burnt. Agitating Gujjars sat on railway tracks at Malarna Doongar near Sawai Madhopur, leading to the cancellation of several trains and re-routing of others.
The protesters have refused to back off from their quota demand even after a government delegation met them there. The Gujjars say if 10 per cent reservation for the economically backward can be passed, then why not for them.
The state government had assured the Gujjar community of 5 per cent reservation in a special category in 2017 after a bout of agitation. It had planned to expand the reservation for Other Backward Classes from 21 per cent to 26 per cent and give 5 per cent reservation to Gujjars and other castes. After the expansion, the total reservation in the state would have crossed the 50 per cent ceiling set by the Supreme Court.
The bill to this effect, which was introduced in the monsoon session of the state assembly in 2017, was put on hold by the Rajasthan High Court after an appeal against it.
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