Internet services suspended in Rajasthan district ahead of Gujjar Mahapanchayat on October 17

Reports said the Mahapanchayat was initially scheduled to be held at Maksudanpura Devnarayan Temple in Malarna Dungar area, but later the venue was changed to Bharatpura, where a massive agitation took place in 2008

Ahead of Gujjar Mahapanchayat to be held on October 17 at Rajasthan’s Ada Pilupura in Bharatpur district, internet services and other social media services will remain suspended from October 16 midnight to October 17 midnight in Bayana, Weir, Bhusawar and Rupwas of Bharatpur district.

Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla had threatened to revive the quota agitation last month. (HT file photo)

Last month, Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla had threatened to revive the quota agitation in a month’s time if the central government did not offer constitutional protection to 5% reservation given to five more backward classes (MBCs) including Gujjars in Rajasthan by including the relevant legislation in the ninth schedule of the Constitution.

Reports said the Mahapanchayat was initially scheduled to be held at Maksudanpura Devnarayan Temple in Malarna Dungar area, but later the venue was changed to Bharatpura which saw a massive agitation in which police had to open fire, after a cop was lynched. About 15 people were killed.

In February 2019, the Rajasthan assembly amended the Rajasthan Backward Classes Act, 2017 to extend the reservation given to four more backward classes including the Gujjars to 5%, from the previous 1% provisioned by Vasundhra Raje government of the BJP. However, the Supreme Court had ruled in 2007 that laws placed under the ninth schedule after the Kesavananda Bharati judgement in April 1973 are open to judicial scrutiny.