Stone-pelting Gujjars protestors were teargassed by police as the agitation hit the national capital region disrupting roads and rail traffic and causing acute hardship to commutors.
NEW DELHI/JAIPUR: Stone-pelting Gujjars protestors were on Thursday teargassed by police as the agitation hit the national capital region disrupting roads and rail traffic and causing acute hardship to commutors.
The teargassing took place at south delhi's Mehrauli area where protesters attacked the police by throwing stones. Incidents of violence including stone pelting also occurred at Aya Nagar, bordering Gurgaon, police said.
Over 35,000 policement kept a tight vigil as the 'NCR rasta roko' protesters blocked vehicular movement on major road stretches leading to the national capital.
Gujjars burnt tyres and placed blockades on the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) Expressway, the Mathura Road connecting Faridabad and Delhi and Mehrauli-Gurgaon road.
The NCR agitation, called by All India Gujjar Mahasabha, is in support of the community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status in Rajasthan where 39 people were killed last week in police firing and clashes.
As their "martyrs days" protests were held Rajasthan's Karwadi and Bayana areas, the hotbeds of protests, an IAF helicopter dropped pamphlets appealing to the activists to refrain from violence and take up their demand for ST status with the Central Government.
In Jaipur, a bandh called by the Gujjars brought public transport to a grinding halt with buses remaining off the roads. However, government offices and markets remained open.
Incidents of road blockades and forced shutdowns were reported from the districts of Alwar, Bundi, Tonk, Nagaur, Udaipur, Kota and Dausa, reports reaching police headquaters
in Jaipur said.
Anticipating trouble, the Railways on Thursday cancelled ten trains, including Nizamuddin-Kochi, Maharashtra Sampark Kranti, Nizamuddin-Udaipur and Dehradun-Bandra expresses.
Rail traffic between Aligarh and Ghaziabad was reportedly affected while a large number of protestors blocked a train in Loni in adjoining Ghaziabad this morning.
In Delhi, protest marches were held in Mehrauli, Aya Nagar, Mayur Vihar, Anand Vihar, Wazirabad, Surya Nagar, Khajuri Khaz, Sarai Kalekhan besides other areas.
The Union Home Ministry had put the National Capital Region on high alert two days ago following the agitation call and issued advisories to Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments asking them to take measures to maintain peace.
Tight security measures were also enforced in neighbouring areas like Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad.
In Gurgaon, about 500 activists of the Ajit Singh led Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) blocked the Delhi-Jaipur highway at Narshingpur Chowk.
Reports from Noida and east Delhi said public transport was affected while private vehicles were plying but in less numbers. Vehicular traffic was also hit in south-west Delhi's Kapashera bordering Gurgaon.
Police are keeping a strict vigil on Delhi borders -- especially on three points, Aya Nagar, Bopari and one in north-east district -- to keep trouble-makers at bay.
Security personnel were deployed in strength in Gujjar strongholds like Mehrauli, Ghazipur, Patparganj, Badarpur, Khanpur, Ayanagar, Chilla village and Rampur, anticipating a strong showing by the community during the agitation.
"The community has a sizeable population in South and East districts. We anticipate more troubles in these areas and along the inter-state roads," a senior police official said.
There was an unusual rush on certain stretches in Delhi in the early hours as office-goers chose to leave for office early anticipating traffic snarls in the later part of the day.
A traffic policeman on duty said there were more vehicles on roads this morning before the rush hour.
"I did not want to take a risk. You don't know how things unfold. I have an important meeting at my office which I could not afford to miss. So I left early," Shanker Roy, who works in a financial firm in Delhi's Connaught Place, said.
However, some other commuters were not that fortunate as they had to return home after waiting for buses or their vehicle being blocked during their journey.
"I waited for the bus for quite a long time in Mayur Vihar to go to office but I had to return home. I did not anticipate this," Meenakshi Sharma, a software developer, said.
Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Delhi MLA and chief patron of All India Gujjar Sangarsh Samiti, appealed to protestors not to resort to violence.
"We have a just demand and we are protesting in a peaceful manner. Protestors should resort to peaceful means and public should not be harassed," he said.
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