By IANS
Jaipur : The high-powered Justice Jasraj Chopra Committee that studied the Gujjar community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status Monday submitted its report to the Rajasthan government.
The committee took six months to prepare the 290-page report, which the state cabinet is expected to discuss Tuesday.
After the discussion, the cabinet will send it with its recommendations to the central government for a final decision, a senior state government official said.
Sources in the government said that the report was not likely be made public.
“We were asked to do a job and we are happy that with the support of the state government and others concerned we have been able to do it in the stipulated time,” Justice Chopra said.
The Justice Chopra committee, set up June 12 by the government following an agreement signed between it and the Gujjar Aarakshan Sangarsh Samiti, was due to submit its report by Sep 12. But following a request from the committee, the state government extended its tenure to Dec 15.
The committee members toured some villages with a high percentage of Gujjars and also heard views of Gujjars, Meenas and other communities on the matter.
Gujjars, currently classified among the Other Backward Classes (OBC), held protests across Rajasthan from May 29 to June 4, demanding the community be declared a Scheduled Tribe – a status, they believe, that would give them more job and educational opportunities.
Normal life was paralysed and at least 26 people were killed in the violence that seemed to be heading towards a caste war between Gujjars and Meenas, a dominant community among tribals in Rajasthan who opposed the Gujjar demand.
Meenas fear that Gujjars’ inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe category will dilute benefits coming their way.