Caste protests shake Indian capital

Source Aljazeera.net

Thousands of protesters from one of India's lowest castes have burned tires and blocked roads leading to New Delhi, as they step up demands for greater welfare benefits and access to jobs. Protests by India's Gujjars started in the north and west of the country two weeks ago, killing almost 40 people. The demonstrators have now headed to the capital creating huge traffic jams on major roads. Avatar Singh Bhadana, a senior Gujjar leader, said on May 29: "The Rajasthan government must realize the mood of the people and not delay the implementation of quotas for Gujjars." The Gujjars, who threw stones at police and in places broke windshields of cars and buses, want to be reclassified further down India's complex Hindu caste and status system to qualify for government jobs and university places reserved for such groups. During the protests, Subodh Singh, from the Delhi Gujjar Federation, said: "We are here for the people of Rajasthan who have died. Who do not have food to eat. We won't settle for anything less than this scheduled tribe status, that is our least demand." Police cleared most blockades after hours of scuffles. Some train services to towns outside Delhi, including several tourist destinations, remained suspended. Sachin Pilot, a representative from the Gujjar community and member of the Indian National Congress party told Al Jazeera that the Gujjars, present in nine of the 25 states of India, are fighting for something they believe is constitutionally theirs. "There has been violence and state-sponsored terrorism which has claimed 66 lives in the past 12 months, and that has activated this movement. "It's not just a question of status, it's about having equal distribution in terms of opportunities for jobs and education." Demonstrations turned violent last week after protesters lynched a policeman and police fired on protesters, killing 36 of them in just a few days. On the morning of May 29, the protesters turned vehicles away from the towns of Noida and Gurgaon, home to scores of outsourcing and computer software firms. Some telecom firms such as BlackBerry closed their service centers in these suburbs. In Rajasthan's towns of Bayana and Sikandra, where Gujjars are a majority, protesters blocked roads with bodies of some of those killed in the police firing a week ago, saying the bodies would not be cremated until the government relented. The army and federal police forces surrounded both towns.