Jaipur-Agra national highway blocked for second day as quota protests continue | Jaipur News

Member of four communities block road on the highway near Aroda village in Bharatpur. Thye’re demanding a 12% separate reservation

JAIPUR/ALWAR: The Jaipur-Agra national highway remained blocked for the second consecutive day on Monday as thousands of people from four communities sat on a dharna on the highway near Aroda village in Bharatpur district demanding a 12% separate reservation for them in Rajasthan.
District administration suspended mobile internet services till 11 am Tuesday in Nadbai, Uchain, Weir, and Bhusavar tehsils.
These four communities – Saini, Kushwah, Morya and Shaqya – are grouped under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and scattered into more than 300 different castes. Although they have 21% reservation in Rajasthan. They are now demanding a separate 12% reservation for themselves.
The protesters started the dharna on Sunday evening. As the highway remained blocked, the district and police administration invited the protesters to discuss their demands and lift the roadblock, but the protestors insisted on speaking only to representatives sent by the government.
Alok Ranjan, district collector Bharatpur stated that the agitators’ demand has been conveyed to the government. With the highway blocked, hundreds of vehicles on their way to Agra and Jaipur remained stranded on both sides for hours, prompting police to divert them through other parallel routes while many trucks were seen stranded at Bharatpur and Dausa.
In the evening the state government sent cabinet minister Vishvendra Singh and Sanwar Mal Verma, divisional commmissioner, Bharatpur to placate the protesters.