People from Gujjar community block NH11 Jaipur-Agra highway in Dausa district of Rajasthan (PTI Photo)
A day after their talks failed with the government, Gujjars intensified their agitation today for five per cent quota by blocking highways in parts of Rajasthan and threatened to expand it across the state even as their leaders were booked for rioting and endangering lives.
The community members, who started the renewed agitation last Thursday by disrupting rail traffic on Delhi-Mumbai tracks in Bharatpur, today blocked National Highway 11 at Dausa and a state highway in Sawaimadhopur district to build pressure on the state government.
The Gujjars, who held talks with the government in Bayan town in Bharatpur yesterday, said they were intensifying their agitation as they had been offered no concrete proposal to meet their demand.
Led by Kirori Singh Bainsla, who had spearheaded a similar agitation in 2008, Gujjars assembled at Sikandara in Dausa early this morning to pay homage to 21 people who were killed on the same day in 2008 during the violent agitation.
After that, the Gujjar members blocked the highway at Sikandara. The Sawaimadhopur-Sheopur state highway in Khandar area of Sawaimadhopur district was also blocked late last night where the Gujjars are squatting, police said.
Traffic on both the highways has been diverted to other roads and police has been deployed around the area to maintain law and order, police added.
"Several hundred people blocked the highway at Sikandara this morning while the Sawaimadhopur-Sheopur state highway is also blocked since last night," the police said.
Himmat Singh, spokesperson of Gujjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti, said the agitation would be expanded in the state if there is no fresh and concrete proposal from the government.
He said the meeting yesterday was inconclusive because the government had "nothing new" to offer.
On the other hand, police have booked Mr Bainsla and his associates, including Himmat Singh, for rioting, damaging public property, endangering life, obstructing public way, criminal conspiracies.