Jaipur, Sep 18 (IANS) The Rajasthan government has decided to order a judicial probe into the death of at least 26 people in the violence and police firing during the Gujjar agitations held earlier this year, officials said Tuesday.
According to the decision taken Monday evening, retired high court judge Fatehchand Bansal will head the commission to look into the circumstances in which people were killed during the mass protests.
Gujjars, who belong to the other backward classes (OBC), held protests across Rajasthan from May 29 to June 4 demanding their inclusion into the scheduled tribe (ST) category that would give them better employment and educational opportunities.
Normal life was paralysed and at least 26 people were killed in the violence. The Gujjars have again demanded that a letter be sent to the centre by Oct 2 recommending tribal status to the community.
“We hope that the state government will send a letter by Oct 2, failing which community leaders would be consulted and a massive protest would be launched,” said K.L. Bainsla, head of the Gujjar Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti.
A Gujjar Mahapanchayat (mass meet) held in Rajasthan’s Dholpur district Sep 13 had decided to court mass arrests from Oct 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, if the state government failed to send a letter by then.
The Gujjars have flayed the state government’s decision to give a three-month extension to the high-powered Justice Jasraj Chopra committee, which is looking into their demand for scheduled tribe (ST) status.
The committee was originally supposed to submit its report on Sep 12 but the state government accepted the committee’s request and decided to extend its tenure till Dec 15.