Now, Jats block roads, burn bus in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur

Jaipur, Feb 22 (IANS) The protest by the Jat community demanding reservation spilled over to Rajasthan on Monday, with agitators blocking roads and railway tracks in Bharatpur district and setting ablaze a state roadways bus.

"There were road and train blockades in some places, mainly between Bharatpur to Mathura, Jaipur and Agra by protestors of the Jat community," a police official told IANS.

Efforts were on to remove the blockade through peaceful negotiations, he said.

Jats in Rajasthan are classified as Other Backward Classes (OBC), except for Jats of Bharatpur and Dholpur districts.

Many trains in the Jaipur, Agra and Mathura sectors were cancelled while train traffic between the important Delhi-Mumbai sector was also affected.

The protestors on Monday set ablaze a Rajasthan Roadways bus, and damaged another near Bharatpur city, over 170 km from Jaipur.

Roads from Bharatpur to Delhi, Deeg, Alwar and Mathura were also blocked.

Almost all markets in Bharatpur remained closed on Monday in support of the demand.

In view of the tense situation and to maintain law and order, the district administration invoked Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure banning as unlawful assembly of people at public places.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje appealed to the Jat community to maintain peace.

She directed Social Welfare Minister Arun Chaturvedi to hold a meeting with Jat community leaders to thrash out a solution.