Gujjars call off month-long stir

A day after Rajasthan government announced five per cent reservation for Gujjars, their leader Kirori Singh Bainsla on Thursday called off the nearly month-long agitation for Scheduled Tribe status.

Kirori Singh Bainsla, who reached Karwadi-Pilupura area, the agitation epicentre, from Jaipur on Wednesday night, said he was "very happy" with the agreement signed with the Rajasthan Government and was calling off the agitation that began on May 23.

Bainsla, a retired army colonel, expressed his gratitude towards Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje and gave her the credit for ending the stalemate.

"The agreement signed between the Gujjar community and the Rajasthan government is a historic step. We are thankful to the Chief Minister and welcome the government's decision," Bainsla told his community members camping here while referring to the accord for Gujjar quota under a "special, separate backward class" category.

"The government has given us more than what we demanded," Bainsla, who is Gujjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti chief, said.

After Bainsla's announcement of an end to the protests, the agitators vacated the railway track they had been blocking. The security forces deployed in the area have taken control of the track and the Railway authorities have started repairing the damaged portions.