Gujjar Problem will not go away:Massacre of Gujjars by Rajasthan Police

Massacre of Gujjars by Rajasthan Police

Gujjars More Sinned Against Than Sinning.

It is a Shame. This is a repeat of what happened last year.

Over 40 Gujjars have been shot and killed by the Rajasthan Police in just two days.

In any other country there would have been an uproar.

Had any one from a minority community  been involved, self righteous, superannuated and fading page three crowds would have descended on Delhi streets and invaded the visual media. Reams of paper would have been consumed and buckets of tears shed on police atrocities, and rights of citizens. Venom would have been spewed on all and sundry, politicians and police leading the rest. Politicians of all hues would be shouting from the roof tops.

But alas the Gujjars are simple folk and have no clout. They don’t dress well and are not considered photogenic.

Hence the terrible silence of the media and the politicians.

Rajastan Government

Excuse of a policeman being killed trotted out by the Rajasthan government under Vasundara Raje appears weak for the massacre of protesters. Not that the Gujjars were followers of the Mahatma and ahimsa.

Blockading of roads or rail lines cannot be an excuse for indiscriminate firing by the police.

The law enforcement machinery would never have carried out such massacres without a clear signal from the government. It is obvious that the Government of Rajasthan has given the green signal to the armed policemen to fire at will and kill protesters. No news has come about injured Gujjars. It is not possible that firing on a mob is carried out on such a large scale and no injuries are inflicted.

Police is expected to resort to firing only as a last resort.

Clearly the use of lathi charge, tear gas shells, rubber bullets, firing below the knees etc have not been resorted to prior commencement of firing live bullets, with intention to kill.

Thousands have been jailed. Criminal cases have been filed against Col Bainsla in an effort to browbeat him at a personal level. He has been called to appear before a court in connection with a contempt petition filed by the government.

Even one year back Col Rahul Bhonsle had commented on India’s Policing Woes “ Similarly at Dausa, an appropriate model of force application based on the demands-non acceptance-bandh-violence- appeasement cycle of the agitation would have resulted in better control over disruptive machinations of the striking community as well as the anti socials.”

“If Bhainsala and Roop Singh are being charged so should be the police hierarchy for poor appreciation of upsurge of violence, preventive tactics as well as faulty force deployment.”

The Politicians

The BJP government of Vasundara Raje threatened the Gujjars with severe action if they continued with the protests. BJP whose Vajapayee government had precipitated the issue by including Jats in the OBC list was and is silent.

Bharat Sarkar

It knew of the impending problems but kept silent till Raje Government sent a meaningless letter. After the receipt of the letter recommending an additional 5% quota under a special category noises were made as to why the letter should not have been written.

It was and is twiddling its thumbs. Congress feels the problem is for local BJP government to sort out. It is unconcerned about the all India fall out.

Neither the Delhi Sarkar nor the Rajasthan government have any intention of sorting out the problem. They Rajasthan government hopes to tire out the Gujjars, through and split them like they did last year.

What is not realised is that that will not make the problem go away.

The Media

The media visual and written has not risen to the occasion.

The media had a long siesta from Saturday to Monday.

The day over 20,000 Gujjars had collected on their protest in the blazing sun and the firings took place it was clear that the media wanted to sideline burning issue.

The channels were full of a local murder case and hair splitting on the victims and their families. They had no time for a national problem.

Even the print media including the Hindustan Times, Times of India or Asian Age chose to ignore the obvious problem of Gujjars and their cry for justice. Deaths of 40 men was buried under columns of a local murder and inane chatter.

Today on 29^th May the Gujjars have decided to stop entry and exit from Delhi. Now the media has suddenly woken up to the fact that there are some people called Gujjars in this country and they have some problems. Even now the media is putting its own spin on the coverage to show the Gujjars in bad light.

The Political parties are afraid to antagonise the Meenas (declared STs) who have considerable clout in Rajasthan and even outside. They have cornered many seats in the central services, local police and the administrative machinery.

The Delhi Police and the the para military forces have acted with restraint and should be applauded for the same. A behaviour in clear contrast to the Rajasthan Police.

The Gujjar Problem is NOT going away.

Extracts from Mail Today

THE latest attempts to end the Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan have failed.

On Sunday, Gujjar leader colonel Kirori Singh Bainsla refused to meet chief minister Vasundhara Raje who had gone to Bayana in Bharatpur, 10 km from where the Gujjars are on an indefinite sit-in.

The death toll from the firing over the past two days has risen to at least 39, including two policemen. This includes 22 in Saturday’s firing in Sikandara and 17 in Dumaria (Bayana, Bharatpur) on Friday.

Under pressure from her party men, Raje reached Bayana on Sunday evening and sent word to Bainsla to meet her for talks. But the Gujjar leader refused, saying, “What is there to talk? Our demands are known and the government has to accept them.” A furious Raje left for Jaipur soon after. She said the government would deal with the situation with a strong hand. Later Bainsla said this was not the way to respond to the situation.

“How could I leave one lakh people behind at the spot and go for talks,” he said. “The chief minister should have sent a message that the demands were accepted.” He said the Gujjars knew it was a “now or never” situation for them to get their demand for ST status met. Earlier on Sunday, the Gujjars had rejected Raje’s invitation for talks in Jaipur.

“Don’t test my patience now. I will have to take strict action,” Raje said on Sunday before taking a chopper tour of the area with the state DGP at 5.30 pm. Looking at the helicopter circling above him, Bainsla was defiant too.

“Why doesn’t she just land and meet me?” Bainsla told MAIL TODAY. “I am not the one to commit the same mistake twice. The last time I went to meet her in Jaipur after a week of agitation, she gave me a false promise to end our protest. She squarely duped me and I was left with no face before my community.

What’s there to talk. Demands are known’
Now Raje has to come here to Bawana and give me the letter acknowledging ST status for Gujjars. Till date, she has not even directly spoken to me. Only her home minister has been telling me to call off the agitation as the state is grappling with the terror blasts. But we will not budge…we will not let this Delhi- Mumbai rail line function.” Jaggan Gujjar, a dacoit with a reward on him, joined the Gujjar protest at Bawana in Bharatpur with a dozen of his followers.

The agitation in Bawana started with Bainsla’s call; the government did not think many would join him. But it was wrong. Rajasthan home minister Gulabhchand Kataria said he had spoken to Bainsla on Thursday night. “He assured me of a peaceful protest. But the Gujjars killed one policeman at Bayana which led to the police firing. Yesterday, they tried to burn a police post in Sikandara with all the policemen inside. We had no option but to open fire,” says Kataria. He said only the Centre could take a decision on giving ST status to the Gujjars. “The Rajasthan government cannot help the Gujjars in the ST matter,” said Kataria.

Bainsala said he had no other option. “I am appealing for peace but we either need to get the ST permission letter or we die here. Let the army come,” he said. The army, which was already present in Bharatpur’s Dumaria village, moved into Sikandara in Dausa, Sawai Madhopur and Karauli.

In Jaipur, Raje told the media, “Goons, lumpen elements and dacoits have joined the movement and the Gujjar leadership is under their pressure.” Raje appealed to the Gujjars not be misled by false propaganda.

She pointed out that a Rs 300-crore package was announced for Gujjars and a budget provision was made only with the concurrence of the Gujjar leaders. As such, there was no need for the agitation, she said.