Agencies

Karwadi (Rajasthan), May 28: Clearly unimpressed by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's efforts to broker peace, thousands of Gujjars on Tuesday joined the movement for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status by blocking roads and train tracks. ( Watch )

Even as security forces maintained a close vigil in the violence-hit areas, the Gujjars created a "tiger force" to check "suspicious elements" and ensure supply of essential commodities to areas under their control. Rajasthan police, meanwhile, filed cases against more than 200 Gujjars for blocking roads and disrupting traffic.

Youth in their early twenties have been handpicked by the community members to patrol round the clock to prevent any "security breach".

"We believe that CID personnel and other vested interests have been frequenting this place. In order to prevent any breach that would be harmful to our agitation, this youth brigade has been handpicked," a senior member of the community said.

There are about 40 boys in the force, who have also been entrusted with the task of maintaining the smooth flow of ration, medicines and drinking water.

"Now that we have asked our men not to leave this place, only these boys would be going to and fro from here to the villages to fetch these items", he said.

Talking about their preparedness to counter any situation, he said, the members of the 'tiger officers' are armed with lathis and have been asked to keep a check on any "suspicious person" and check his identity in case of doubt.

The formation of this force comes in the wake of reports that some Gujjar men have been arrested and their vehicles seized in the vicinity of the area of agitation.

The administrations efforts to calm the situation has had little impact with hundreds of Gujjars blocking all vehicular movement on arterial highways like Jaipur-Agra, Jaipur-Alwar, Jaipur-Kota, Jaipur-Dausa.

Gujjar leader Ranbir Chandla even threatened to cut milk supplies to New Delhi in the next couple of days.

"We will intensify our stir as per the directions of our leaders. We have called a shutdown in 10 districts," he added.

In Piplupra village, where Bainsla and thousands of Gujjars have been squatting on railway tracks for the past five days, community leaders could be seen formulating the future strategy of a movement that has already claimed 37 lives.

They spread out on either side of the railway track near the Dumaria railway station, in their white kurta-pyjamas and dhotis. The aggression is mounting and the determination to get ST status to enable them to get better jobs and employment opportunities is intact.

Holding sickles and sticks, members of the traditional shepherd community, shouted slogans like Gujjar Ekta Jindabad and Arkashan Lekar Rehnege , and Colonel Tum Aage Bado, Hum Tumhare Sath hai .

Some of those from the three districts of Karoli, Bharatpur and Dausa who have been camping here say they have not moved for five days, when the latest round of the movement began.

Bainsla and his second in command Harprasad said they had not even take a bath since the beginning of the stir on Friday.

"This is a final battle. I have come from Delhi to join my community," said RC Chaprana, a Gujjar.

Gumar Singh, who has come from Himachal Pradesh, added: "We will fight with guns if needed. At the end of the day, this is not my fight, it's the community's fight."

A large number of women have also joined the movement.

Flaunting a sickle, one such woman, Kausla, 55, said: "I will not hesitate to kill anyone who tries to come in our way."

"I will not get up from here till the time we get a letter from Vasundhara Raje. It is a fight for our children's livelihood. With reservation we will have better opportunities, like the Meenas," added 55-year-old Rupanti, who has travelled over a 100 km, to join the protest.

While the Gujjars have been classified as other backward classes (OBCs), they want ST status like the Meenas and a share of the quota pie. Ironically, OBCs get 27 per cent reservation and STs 7.5 per cent, but the perception is that the community will get a larger share of the quota pie with ST status.

The community had held similar protests all over Rajasthan from May 29 to June 4 last year. Normal life was paralysed and at least 26 people were killed in the violence that seemed headed towards a caste war between Meenas and Gujjars last year.