By IANS
Jaipur : A Gujjar body spearheading an agitation for granting tribal status to the community is to present its case before a high-powered government panel here on Monday.
“A delegation consisting of 40-50 community leaders would present a report to the committee at 11.30 a.m.,” Attar Singh Bhadana, a leader of the Gujjar Aarkshan Sangarsh Samiti told IANS.
Jasraj Chopra, a retired judge of the Rajasthan High Court, heads the panel set up by the state government to examine the Gujjar demand. Yogesh Atal, a sociologist of international standing, is a member of the committee
On Saturday a report covering 40 Gujjar-dominated villages was presented to Col. (retd) Kirori Lal Bainsla, convenor of the Gujjar Aarkshan Sangarsh Samiti.
The report has been compiled on the basis of a questionnaire sent out to community members residing all over the state. The document had sought information on their residential areas, how far it was from their workplace, whether they lived in jungles and whether they had fertile or wasteland.
A number of other questions were also asked. For instance:
Did Gujjars seek the help of the judicial system in solving disputes or did they try to resolve these through the panchayat? Was their source of livelihood cattle rearing or agriculture? Did they go to doctors or were they still dependent on age-old superstitions for curing diseases?
The Gujjars, who are presently classified as other backward castes (OBCs), had May 29-June 4 held violent protests all over the state demanding tribal status for better job and educational opportunities.
The agitation had completely paralysed Rajasthan for a week as major roads were blocked and train services disrupted. At least 26 people were killed and hundreds injured in the violence that damaged property worth millions of rupees.
The agitation ended June 4 with the state government agreeing to set up a panel to examine the Gujjars’ demand.