COVID-19: Case registered against Gujjar leader, others for holding Mahapanchayat in Bharatpur

A case has been registered against Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla and 32 others for holding a Mahapanchayat in Bharatpur on Saturday in violation of COVID-19 protocols.

A case has been registered against Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla and 32 others for holding a Mahapanchayat in Bharatpur on Saturday in violation of COVID-19 protocols. The case has been filed at the Bayana police station.

Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla on Saturday gave an ultimatum to the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan to accept their demands, including reservation in jobs and education as a "most backward class" (MBC), or face large-scale agitation beginning November 1. Bainsla made this announcement at a Gujjar Mahapanchayat in Bharatpur which was called to decide the future course of action if their demands are not met.

According to the High Court's directives issued in 2007, the Mahapanchayat can only be held after an undertaking has been submitted to the District Collector. Also, as per the National Disaster Management Act and Rajasthan Epidemic Ordinance, 2020, during the COVID-19 crisis a congregation of more than 100 people could not be held in the state.

Rajasthan government on October 26, 2018, passed a bill which increased the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota from 21 per cent to 26 per cent. In December 2018, the Rajasthan government also approved one per cent reservation for Gujjars and four other backward castes (OBCs). These communities are getting one per cent separate reservation under the legal limit of 50 per cent reservation meant for the most-backward category in addition to OBC reservation. (ANI)

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