Rail, road traffic hit as Gujjars launch another quota stir

JAIPUR/AJMER: Rail and road traffic in the state have been affected after members of the Gujjar Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, led by its patron Col Kirori Singh Bainsla, blocked railway tracks and highways over their demand for five per cent quota in state jobs and educational institutions.

Soon after the rail route was blocked, the state government constituted a three-member cabinet committee to initiate a dialogue with the agitators. "A three-member committee, comprising cabinet ministers Raghu Sharma, Vishwendra Singh and Bhanwar Lal, was formed to hold talks with the Gujjars," said Rajiv Swaroop, additional chief secretary (home). The state police also sounded an alert for several Gujjar-dominated districts, including Dausa, Bharatpur and Ajmer.


The Gujjars along with four other communities, currently, are eligible for a one per cent dedicated quota under the Most Backward Classes (MBC) along with the benefits under the OBC quota. They have been demanding a separate five per cent quota for MBC.

Bainsla had called a 'mahapanchayat' to press for their demand at Maksandpura in Sawai Madhopur on Friday. Hundreds of community members had gathered for the panchayat. Following a call by Bainsla for yet another agitation, community members blocked the Delhi-Mumbai rail route by taking over the tracks at Malarna Dunga railway station.

21 trains diverted for smooth running on Del-Mum route

As a precautionary measure, the West Central Railways (WCR) has diverted 21 trains via Kota-Baran and Kota-Ujjain routes to ensure smooth running of trains on the Delhi-Mumbai rail route. One train was cancelled and four were short-terminated. By late Friday evening, Gujjars in other parts of the state had also started protests. In Ajmer, Gujjars jammed the National Highway 89 from Ajmer to Nagaur, which was later cleared by the police.

"We want five per cent separate quota for MBC. We will not move an inch. The state government must come to us for talks. We had set the deadline for today for the government to act, but it failed to do so. We are being forced to launch the agitation," said advocate Shailendra Singh, general secretary of the samiti.

Bainsla, who had himself directed the community members to block the rail routes, claimed that he had appealed them to be "disciplined" and not "damage public property".

According to railway authorities, the Gujjar community members reached the railway tracks at 5.15pm on Friday blocking trains travelling on the busy Delhi-Mumbai route via Sawai Madhopur.

"As of now, four trains were partially terminated, including the Mathura-Sawai Madhopur passenger at Gangapur city railway station, Hazrat Nizamudhin-Kota Shatabadi express at Gangapur city, Ratlam to Mathura MEMU train at Gangapur city, Ratlam to Agra at Kota station. The only train that was cancelled so far was the Agra Fort-Ratlam," said Priyanka Dixit, chief public relations officer, West Central Railways. Diversions from WCR resulted delays to several NWR trains on the Delhi-Jaipur route.