Date:05/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/05/stories/2008060560671400.htm

National

Gujjars line up bodies across NH after autopsy

Sunny Sebastian

JAIPUR: The deadlock over the funeral of 20 Gujjars killed during the agitation for Scheduled Tribe status in Rajasthan continued on Wednesday, as the agitators lined up the bodies across NH-11, at Sikandra in Dausa district. The silver lining was that autopsies were completed on the bodies of all the 20 killed on May 24.

“The post mortem process was over by 1 p.m. and we handed over the bodies to their families,” Dausa Collector Rajesh Yadav told The Hindu over phone. “The cremation of the bodies is likely only on Thursday,” he said, pointing out that soon after receiving the bodies the Gujjars sat in a meeting. “The whole process has remained peaceful so far. We could also hand over the post mortem reports of individual victims to their family members along with the bodies,” he informed.

The results of the post mortem were not immediately available. There has been an acrimonious debate between the authorities and the Gujjar leaders as to how the victims died.

Two Ministers of the Rajasthan Cabinet had told journalists that some of the deaths in the present agitation were due to pellet injuries — which meant that the firing was from the crowd. Gujjar leaders have contested this claim.

The two victims of last Friday’s police firing at Kushalipura in Sawai Madhopur district were cremated near a temple in the vicinity of the site of violence.

Bandhs were observed in support of the Gujjar cause in Nawalgarh in Jhunjhunu district, Datta Ramgargh in Sikar, Ramganjmandi in Kota and Nagar in Bharatpur.

In Pilupura in Bayana tehsil of Bharatpur district, Gujjars, led by Kirori Singh Bainsla, held a “tiye ki baithak”(prayer meeting normally observed on the third day of the death) for 16 persons killed in police firing on May 23.

The victims of Pilupura, barring a police constable killed in mob violence, were cremated the previous day. Five bodies were cremated at Karwadi near the site of firing while 11 were taken to the villages of the respective victims.

The day did not see any fresh initiative for a dialogue though Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told journalists that some “developments” could be possible in the next two days.