Jaipur, Jul 1 (PTI) Members of nomadic and semi-nomadic communities who held a protest on Wednesday in Jaipur demanding 10 per cent reservation turned violent and pelted stones at police.
The protesters had gathered at the Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium for a ‘mahapanchayat’ to press their demand for 10 per cent reservation. After the meeting concluded in the evening, a section of the participants announced a march towards the chief minister’s residence.
The police, who had made elaborate security arrangements and erected barricades on the route, stopped the protesters from proceeding further. This led to a confrontation between the two sides.
Some protesters began pelting stones at security personnel, forcing the police to use mild force to disperse the crowd. The police also lobbed tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.
Nearly a dozen people, including some policemen, were injured in the stone-pelting.
Heavy police deployment was made in the area and the situation was later brought under control. Several protesters were detained in connection with the violence, the police said.
Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly Tikaram Jully condemned the police action and accused the BJP government of suppressing the voices of weaker and marginalised sections.
“The use of lathis, tear gas and force against members of the Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNT) community, who were holding a peaceful protest, is highly condemnable,” Jully said.
“The government’s response to every issue now appears to be limited to lathi-charge, tear gas and repression. The government has completely failed in dialogue and resolution,” he said.
Jully demanded that the state government immediately initiate talks with representatives of the DNT community to address their concerns. PTI SDA KSS KSS
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