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Jaipur: The Rajasthan government has sent its Director General of Police A.S. Gill on long leave - apparently to pacify the agitating Gujjar community after 38 protesters were killed, most of them in police firing, in violence surrounding the Gujjars' nine-day pro-reservation agitation.
K.S. Bains, head of the intelligence wing in the state's police force, was named his successor in a development Friday night.
"Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was not happy with Gill on the handling of the Gujjar issue," a source close to the chief minister said.
"Gill has been made a scapegoat," a police official said instead.
Meanwhile, the deadlock between the Gujjars, who are agitating for Scheduled Tribe status since May 23, and the Raje government continues.
The Gujjars have said that they will only enter into any kind of dialogue if the chief minister is removed.
"We do not have any faith in this government. We will only talk after the chief minister is removed," said Roop Singh, a senior Gujjar leader.
Singh also demanded that the Gujjar ministers and legislators in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party resign from the state assembly.
"They should resign and join us in the fight for classifying us as tribals," Singh added.
There are two Gujjar ministers in Raje's Cabinet and eight legislators from the community in the 200-member state assembly.
The Gujjars continued their train and road blockade agitation for the ninth day in succession yesterday in Rajasthan, affecting train and road traffic.
Tension continued to prevail in parts of Rajasthan, which has witnessed violent protests by Gujjars demanding Scheduled Tribe status for better educational and job opportunities.
On Friday, two people were killed while 12 others were injured when police opened fire on a violent mob in Sawai Madhopur district.
The Gujjars have kept with them the bodies of some of their community members killed in police firing - with ice slabs to keep the corpses from decaying further in the severe heat. They vowed not to cremate the bodies till the issue is sorted out.
In Sikandra over 300 Gujjars are sitting with six dead bodies, blocking the national highway.
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