In the wake of Gurjar-Meena clashes in Rajasthan, the state government on Saturday decided to enforce National Security Act (NSA) in 11 districts.
   Army patrolling was intensified in the affected districts and the troubled portion of Jaipur-Agra highway, where the Gurjar agitators are still sitting with the dead bodies of their men killed in Tuesday’s police firing, is still under the Army’s control.
    The decision was taken in the wake of recent incidents of damage to public property in the state, Home Secretary V S Singh said while briefing the media at the state secretariat. The NSA will be effective in Dausa, Bharatpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Bundi, Kota, Baran, Jhalawar, Ajmer and Alwar.
   Shoot-at-sight orders have already been issued in Bharatpur, Sawai Madhopur and Dholpur. Thirty nine columns of Army are deployed in ten districts of the state. At least 36 companies of CRPF and RAF from the Centre and other states are also deployed in the troubled areas. There were reports of the Meena community holding meetings at five or six places in the state.
    The law and order situation reportedly improved though there were rumours of firing in Dausa, he said. The Army also conducted an aerial survey of the violence-hit parts.
PM appeal
   Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday appealed to people to “desist from actions which may lead to further violence”. After deliberating the situation for an hour with senior BJP leaders L K Advani and Jaswant Singh at his residence, the Prime Minister said in a message that the “events of the past few days in parts of Rajasthan have caused a great deal of pain and distress to large numbers of people. Sadly, many lives have been lost, plunging their families into grief”.
   Meanwhile, BJP chief Rajnath Singh ruled out the possibility of replacement of Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje, whose handling of the protests has come in for criticism from party leaders.
Compensation
   At the end of fifth day of Gurjar agitation, the state government finally announced to give Rs 5 lakh to the next kin of the deceased and adequate compensation to the injured.