Unrest spreads, Gurjar protesters teargassed in Tonk

Jaipur: Police teargassed a mob of Gurjars disrupting traffic on the Tonk Sawai Madhopur Road near Tonk in Rajasthan as bandhs and rasta roko (road blockade) continued for the fifth day at several places including Banswara, Kotputli, Shakkarpur in Bhilwara.

A group of Gurjars, including some women, gathered near Ghas village between Tonk and Uniara and blocked the road this morning.

Police intervened but the protesters resorted to stone throwing provoking the police to use force and then burst tear gas to disperse them.

Several people, including two women and five police personnel, were injured in the clash.

A minor clash was also reported from Kotputli as demonstrators tried to block Jaipur-Delhi Highway but the police removed them from the road.

Three Gujjar youths climbed atop a BSNL communication tower in Shakkarpur town of Bhilwara district this morning to express their solidarity with Gurjars who were holding a sit-in at Pillukapura-Karwari near Bayana for the past five days.

Police persuaded them to come down and later detained them for interrogation.

Meanwhile, parleys between the officials over postmortem of the firing victims whose bodies were kept at the dharna site in Pillukapura and Sikandara, were on.

Principal Secretary (Water Resources Department) SN Thanvi who is camping in Bayana, said the state government, in special circumstances, was ready to arrange postmortem at the dharna site but the issue of cremation of the deceased was still being discussed with Gujjar leaders.

The police has also launched campaign for recovery of unlicensed arms in Bayana and Karauli regions.

Over 100 people have so far been arrested and several arms seized, an official spokesman said.

While 12 bodies are kept at dharna site in Pillukapura-Karvadi since May 23, the bodies of six victims of Sikandara firing were kept at dharna site in Sikandara since May 24.

In another significant development, the Rajasthan High Court on tuesday summoned Gujjar leader Col (retd) Kirori Singh Bainsla before the court on May 30 in a contempt of court petition.

Justice Prem Shankar Aasopa issued notices to Col Bainsla in the petition filed by Advocate General BP Agrawal on Monday.