By IANS
New Delhi : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Wednesday demanded a judicial probe into violence in Rajasthan where at least 14 people were killed Tuesday after police fired on agitating members of the Gujjar community.
Terming the flare-up as yet another example of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's brutal record of repression, the party politburo said: "The failure of the government to deal with the matter politically has led to the violence and the needless deaths in police firing."
Gujjars had blocked national highways to press their demand for the scheduled tribe status for the community, so that they are given benefits of government sops and reservation in education and jobs.
Police clashed with the agitators in Bundi and Patauli near Dausa and fired at mobs, leading to the killing of 14 people including two policemen.
"The BJP government headed by Vasundhara Raje has become notorious for its heavy-handed police repression on popular movements. The kisan movement faced brutal repression and six people were killed," the politburo said referring to the police violence on farmers who were agitating for drinking water last year.
"The BJP leadership, which hypocritically tried to exploit the Nandigram incident should take strong action against its state government," the CPI-M said.
The main opposition BJP had stalled proceedings in both houses of parliament during the recently concluded budget session demanding the dismissal of the CPI-M-led government in West Bengal, after 14 people had been killed in police firing in Nandigram area March 14.
The politburo demanded that the Rajasthan government should order a judicial enquiry into the incidents of violence and pay adequate compensation to the families of those killed.