Railway services between Fateh Singhpura and Dungeria stations in the Kota division of Western Central Railway resumed on Sunday evening after Gurjar protesters vacated the tracks following assurances from the government that their demands would be addressed.
The protest, which disrupted rail traffic for over three hours, began in the afternoon when members of the Gurjar community gathered on the railway tracks in Bharatpur district. The agitators halted the 54794 Mathura-Sawaimadhopur passenger train at Fateh Singhpura near Bayana town as part of their ongoing agitation for reservation and other demands. This blockade affected around 10 to 12 trains operating on the route.
According to Sourabh Jain, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of Kota, the state police and railway officials engaged in talks with the protesters, ultimately convincing them to clear the tracks by around 7 pm. Following this, normal railway operations were fully restored with no reports of injuries or loss of life.
Vijay Bainsla, son of the late Kirodi Singh Bainsla — a prominent leader of previous Gurjar agitations — expressed satisfaction with the government’s response. He stated that the community’s key demand for a 5% reservation for the Most Backward Classes (MBC) to be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution would be recommended by the state cabinet and forwarded to the Centre for approval. This constitutional inclusion would protect the reservation law from judicial challenges.
Another important demand raised by the community was the appointment of a nodal officer in every district to address and resolve police cases filed against community members during earlier protests. Bainsla confirmed that the government has agreed to this request as well.
The government’s willingness to consider these demands appears to have played a crucial role in defusing the protest, allowing rail services to resume smoothly and passengers to continue their journeys without further disruption.
Sources By Agencies