Hardening its stand against Gujjars pressing for ST status, Rajasthan government on Tuesday clamped National Security Act in 15 violence-hit districts as the agitation by the community spread within the state and threatened to spill over to the National Capital Region.
After discussing the situation arising out of the Gujjars' five-day-old stir at a high-level meeting in Delhi, the Union home ministry put the NCR on high alert in the wake of the community's announcement that it would stall movement of trains in the region and Jammu.
A day after Gujjars spurned chief minister's suggestion for nomadic tribe status to the community, the Rajasthan government clamped the NSA in 15 districts affected by violence over the issue of ST status for the community.
The district collectors of Ajmer, Alwar, Baran, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bundi, Dausa, Dholpur, Jaipur, Jhalawar, Jhunjhunu, Karauli, Kota, Sawaimadhopur and Tonk have been empowered to arrest anyone disturbing law and order and public peace by any act of nuisance, Principal Secretary (Home) V S Singh said in Jaipur.
To maintain law and order in the worst affected districts of Dausa, Bharatpur and Alwar, about 22 army columns and 76 columns of different security personnel have been deployed, Singh said.
Police teargassed Gujjar protesters who blocked the Delhi-Jaipur highway near Kotputali, 130 km from Jaipur, leading to traffic snarl on either sides of the road.
Police first resorted to lathi charge and later used teargas shells to disperse the protesters.
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