RailEnquiry

Dausa: A day after members of Meena and Gujjar youths entered into a violent confrontation during students union elections in the state, people here woke up amid fear, panic and a sense of insecurity. Meanwhile, Section 144 has been clamped in Dausa.The agitating students, who according to local people were Gujjars, had set fire to six new buses on Sunday morning including four at Bhandarez Mode and two at Sikandara. Two motorbikes were also set on fire.The youths who set fire to the vehicles in the wee hours of Sunday alleged that that the rival Meena group and their students had gone berserk on Saturday during elections. "Ladna hai to humse lado, bachchon aur mahilaon ko kyon tang kiya (If you want to fight you fight with us, why touch women and children)," said Sevaram Gujjar who was participating in agitation at Bhandarez Mode.Similarly, the agitating members of Gujjar community alleged that during the student union polls, the Meenas targeted their houses. "My whole house has turned into ashes. If such thing can happen in student union elections, I wonder what will happen in the assembly or Lok Sabha polls," said Ram Singh Gujjar, whose uncle's house was destroyed.

On the other hand, confusion prevailed especially among truck drivers and passengers travelling on Agra Road to places like Mehandipur Balaji as agitating groups of Gujjar community set fire to buses and blocked the National Highway No-11 from Bhandarez Mode and Sikandara circle. They remained stranded on the highway since morning and took a sigh of relief at 6 pm when it was cleared. Since 6 am a long queue of trucks and other vehicles was seen on National Highway 11 from Kanota near Jaipur.

Neither police nor any local villagers were there to clear the confusion and at least tell how long the situation will remain like that.

After a meeting, district collector Muktanand Agarwal and district superintendent of police, Dileep Jakhar along with tear gas vehicles and a large convoy of police vehicles rushed to Bhandarez Mode at 11 am. However, judging the situation in which at least 500 miscreants were present on the spot, they opted to stay back at the premises of Navodaya Vidyalaya, almost a km from Bhandarez Mode. "We are trying our level best to ensure that the traffic on the highway gets restored," said Agarwal. Both SP and collector through their local intelligence were trying to gather the information on the activities of the agitating groups. Suddenly, they were informed that Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla, who was going to Bassi near Jaipur, could come and talk to them. "We have spoken to him and urged him to tell his men to clear the road blockade," Agarwal added.

In the morning, violence-hit areas including Indira Colony wore an empty look except a few onlookers who came to see the houses on fire. "It is a shameful act. They misbehaved with women, looted the house and set almost everything on fire," said Girdhari Gujjar, a resident of Indira Colony. The main market of Dausa city remained closed throughout the day and a good number of policemen have cordoned the area.

Unlike Saturday, rail traffic was smooth when all the important trains passing through Dausa and Bandikui were moving as per their schedule. However, by evening the NH-11 was cleared for traffic at 7 pm. The district and police administration tugged away the buses which were ablaze.