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Two killed during Gujjar demonstration in Haryana

CHANDIGARH: The Gujjar agitation had its fall-out in Haryana on Thursday as a 70-year-old man died in a stampede near Samalakha in Panipat district while another person was reportedly killed after police fired to disperse the agitating Gujjars who had blocked National Highway No.1.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has ordered a magisterial inquiry by the Commissioner of Rohtak Division into the circumstances leading to the death of two persons during the Gujjar demonstration near Patti Kalyana village in Panipat district.

He also announced ex-gratia relief of Rs.5 lakh each for the next of the kin of the deceased.

The dead have been identified as Pappa, son of Balwant, and Kuldeep, son of Sita Ram.

Heavy police reinforcements were rushed to the spot. A senior police officer here said later in the day that vehicular traffic was now running smoothly.

The protesters resorted to arson and stone-throwing and burnt a few vehicles. However, a TV news channel aired clips showing that the police went on the rampage and damaged parked vehicles with sticks.

A senior police officer said 14 policemen were injured, three of them seriously.

In Gurgaon, the Gujjar agitation ended peacefully. Thanks to alertness and patience shown by the district authorities, no untoward incident happened in any part of the district, claimed an official spokesman here.

The blockades at some places in the district were symbolic in nature with the protesters reiterating that Gujjars be given Scheduled Tribe status.

The spokesman said the protestors blocked the Gurgaon-Faridabad road and the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway No.8 for a short while. The NH-8 was blocked near Narsinghpur for half an hour. Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Gupta and Joint Commissioner of Police Manjeet Singh Ahlawat reached the spot and persuaded the agitators to lift the blockade.

Gujjars also burnt effigies of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in Sirsa and Rewari, according to reports reaching the State headquarters here.

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