The Hindu : National : Gujjar stir spreads to Uttar Pradesh

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Friday, May 30, 2008
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Gujjar stir spreads to Uttar Pradesh

Atiq Khan

LUCKNOW: Rail and road traffic came to a halt in western Uttar Pradesh as the agitation by the Gujjars spread to the State on Thursday.

All the important mail and express trains originating from New Delhi and passing through Uttar Pradesh came to a grinding halt as the Gujjars laid siege to the tracks.

Among the important trains which were diverted were the New Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani Express and the New Delhi-Lucknow Shatabdi Express.

Assistant Director-General, Law and Order, Brij Lal, told presspersons here that rail traffic was hit in Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida), Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Baghpat, Bareilly, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Agra.

Traffic restored

Mr. Lal said normal rail and road traffic was restored around 2 p.m. There were no reports of violence and the State remained peaceful during the Gujjar’s agitation.

He added that adequate security force had been deployed in the western U.P. districts affected by the agitation.

Mayawati’s call

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati told journalists that she had urged the Centre and the Rajasthan government to amicably resolve the issue. A law and order problem had been created in the country following the Gujjar agitation, she said.

She appealed to the U.P. Gujjars to press their demand in a peaceful manner.

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