— Photo courtesy: Rajasthan Patrika

The Gujjar rally in Dausa, 60 km from Jaipur, on Tuesday. It later turned violent. — Photo courtesy: Rajasthan Patrika

JAIPUR: After a day of violent confrontations that left 13 people dead, Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria on Tuesday defended the police firing on Gujjars in Dausa and Bundi districts.

He said the police opened fire as a last resort in self-defence and to control the law and order situation.

Talking to presspersons, Mr. Kataria said the police showed "tremendous restraint" in the face of attacks by the crowds armed with dangerous weapons. Two policemen missing from Patoli near Dausa were feared dead, while one constable died of injuries in the Bundi hospital and another was struggling for his life.

Traffic diverted

Mr. Kataria, while admitting that the situation in the two districts was not fully under control till late Tuesday evening, said traffic had been diverted from the Jaipur-Agra and Jaipur-Kota highways, which were still blocked. Clashes between the police and protesters took place at Kotputli on the Jaipur-Delhi highway.

Six columns of the Army were rushed from Jaipur and two columns from Mahuwa to Dausa, while two columns were sent from Kota to Bundi to hold flag march. The Rajasthan Armed Constabulary had also been deployed at the troubled spots, amid reports that a mob cut off the arm of a policeman and the leg of another.

Mr. Kataria said those spearheading the agitation for Gujjars' inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe category had "misled the gullible crowds" into believing that the State Government was not taking the decision despite having the authority to do so. "The fact is that the State Government has no major role in the reservation issue." he said.

Though a message had been sent across to Gujjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti leader Kirori Singh that the State Government was willing to hold negotiations, the agitating crowd was insisting that either Mr. Kataria or Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje make an immediate announcement in their favour.

Mr. Kataria said the shifting of the Gujjar community, enjoying the OBC status, to the ST category was a complex and lengthy process involving a constitutional amendment by two-thirds majority.

The State Government had appointed a Ministerial Consultative Committee on the issue, which had obtained information in the requisite proforma from 26 districts.

The Home Minister, denying that the Bharatiya Janata Party had promised ST status to Gujjars in its election manifesto, said the next meeting of the committee had been fixed for July 31 after taking the Gujjar Mahasabha into confidence.

He said the State Government was willing to send its recommendation to the Centre along with the prescribed information from all the 32 districts.

Mr. Kataria took exception to the Opposition charge that the BJP-led Government was not serious about the issue and said the previous Congress regime had collected the requisite information on Gujjars from only three districts. "Moreover, the then Congress Chief Minister, Shiv Charan Mathur, in 1981 officially expressed his opinion against giving reservation to Gujjars while agreeing for inclusion of Banjaras and Gadia Lohars in ST."

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