Gujjar protests for reservation hit train services

Train services were hit on the busy Delhi-Kota-Mumbai route as members of the Gujjar community occupied railway tracks in Rajasthan's Bharatpur protesting for reservation in jobs and education.

Protestors blocked tracks between Dumariya and Fatehsinghpura stations in Kota Division of West Central Railways, a Railways official said.

Railways diverted 11 trains including Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani Express, Amritsar-Bandra, Indire-Nizamuddin.

"The Railways announced diversion of 11 trains on Sunday. It may divert or cancel more trains in coming days if the protest continued," the Railways official said.

Though the railways suspended the operation of regular trains since March 23 to check the spread of Covid-19, it is operating special trains and freight trains.

The Gujjars have been demanding the Rajasthan government for including Gujjar reservation in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution, filling backlog of vacancies and giving benefit of five per cent reservation to the Most Backward Classes (MBC) in the pending recruitment process.

The Gujjars have been protesting for reservation intermittently since 2007. They were given 5% reservation in a special category, but that has been struck down a number of times by the court as it exceeds the 50% limit set by the Supreme Court.