Gujjar reservation agitation in Rajasthan, 2007 and 2008

What the government did

1. 29 May 2007

   FiringPolice, RajasthanShare

   Police fired on Gujjars at Patoli-Peepal Khera on the Jaipur-Agra highway (Dausa) and at the Dev Narayan temple in Bundi on 29 May, and in Sawai Madhopur district, including Bonli, on 31 May.

   MoreLess · 10 sources

   Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said the police fired as a last resort, in self-defence and under extreme provocation from armed crowds. The PUCL-PUDR-AFDR team said the firing was unwarranted, that police fired at Patoli at about 7.30 a.m. when the highway was not blocked, and that at least three of the dead there were shot in the back. Frontline reported that at Bundi and Peepalkheda police fired on unarmed people early in the morning, before the planned blockade began. Death tolls differ by source and by date

   • 13 killed on 29 May in police firing and violence at Patoli-Peepalkheda and Bundi, said The Hindu (Sunny Sebastian) [27]
   • 14 killed on 29 May in violence and police firing in Dausa and Bundi districts, said UNI [4]
   • 4 killed in police firing at two places in Sawai Madhopur district on 31 May, said The Hindu (Sunny Sebastian) [29]
   • 25 official death toll of the agitation by 3 June, said Government of Rajasthan (as reported by The Hindu) [30]
   • 25 killed at the five sites the team visited (police firing and caste attack), said PUCL Rajasthan-PUDR-AFDR fact-finding team [1]
   • 21 killed in police firing, said Frontline (T.K. Rajalakshmi) [33]
   • 5 killed in inter-community clashes, said Frontline (T.K. Rajalakshmi) [33]

   Sources [27][28][29][30][9][33][34][1][2][4]

2. 29 May 2007

   OtherState government, RajasthanShare

   Army columns were called out on 29 May: six columns from Jaipur and two from Mahuwa to Dausa, and two from Kota to Bundi, for flag marches, according to the state Home Minister.

   MoreLess · 7 sources

   The Army was put on alert in Alwar and Bharatpur, and troops held a flag march in Kota on 31 May. The Centre sent 24 companies of central paramilitary forces on 29 May. By 5 June, 39 Army columns and 36 companies of central forces were being withdrawn

   Sources [27][28][50][29][11][2][5]

3. 4 Jun 2007

   NegotiationState government, RajasthanShare

   Bainsla met Chief Minister Raje at her residence in Jaipur on 4 June, in the fifth round of talks and the first in which the two spoke directly.

   MoreLess · 5 sources

   After about six hours they issued a joint statement, and the Samiti called off the agitation and lifted the blockades

   Sources [31][9][34][1][5]

4. 7 Jun 2007

   Commission of inquiryState government, RajasthanShare

   The 4 June joint statement provided for a three-member high-level committee, headed by a retired High Court judge, to report within three months.

   MoreLess · 5 sources

   A notification of 7 June 2007 constituted the committee with Justice Jasraj Chopra (retd) as chairperson, and a notification of 12 June 2007 set its terms of reference: to examine the Gujjar demand against the Government of India's criteria for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes. The committee reported on 15 December 2007. It did not support ST status, and recommended a special development fund and area-based measures for Gujjars in remote areas

   Sources [37][36][31][8][22]

5. May 2008

   ConcessionState government, RajasthanShare

   A committee under BJP leader Ramdas Agarwal, formed to make an action plan on the Chopra committee's suggestions, proposed a special package of Rs 282 crore for Gujjar-dominated areas, which the government announced in May 2008.

   MoreLess · 2 sources

   Bainsla rejected it and called a rail roko for 23 May 2008

   Sources [22][38]

6. 23 May 2008

   FiringPolice, RajasthanShare

   On 23 May police fired on Gujjars at the rail roko near Pilupura and Dumariya, Bayana tehsil, Bharatpur, on the Delhi-Mumbai line; a crowd lynched a head constable of the Rajasthan Armed Constabulary.

   MoreLess · 12 sources

   Officials said police fired after tear gas and rubber bullets failed to stop the crowd. The state ordered a judicial inquiry by retired High Court judge F.C. Bansal. On 24 May police fired at Sikandra, Dausa, where the DGP said a crowd of 2,000-2,500 armed protesters attacked the police station. Tolls for both days are contested

   • 4 + 1 killed at Bayana on 23 May (deaths in police firing confirmed by the Home Minister, said Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria [38]
   • 15 killed at Bayana on 23 May, said Home Minister Kataria and police (as reported by UNI) [13]
   • 19 killed on 23 May (16 in police firing and three police personnel), said Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee [38]
   • 14 killed on 23 May, said Kirori Singh Bainsla [12]
   • 4 killed in police firing at Sikandra on 24 May, said Home Commissioner V.S. Singh and DGP A.S. Gill [39]
   • 18 killed in police firing at Sikandra on 24 May, said The Hindu (Sunny Sebastian) [39]
   • 14 victims of the Sikandra police firing whose post-mortems the state decided to conduct, said The Tribune (Chitleen K Sethi) [48]
   • 16 firing victims whose bodies were at the Pilupura dharna site, said Rajasthan official S.N. Thanvi (as reported by UNI) [26]
   • at least 36 total killed since 23 May, said UNI [14]
   • 39 total killed in the 2008 agitation in Rajasthan, said The Hindu (Sunny Sebastian) [45]

   Sources [38][39][48][22][16][49][12][13][14][17][26][21]

7. 23 May 2008

   OtherState government, RajasthanShare

   The Army, the Rapid Action Force and the CRPF were called out; 10 Army columns moved into the Bharatpur-Karauli-Sawai Madhopur belt, and by 27 May a further 22 Army columns and 76 columns of other security forces were deployed in the affected districts.

   MoreLess · 5 sources

   Arab News reported that the Army blockaded the Karwadi-Pilupura area and cut off food supplies, that mobile signals were jammed and that the state took some news channels off air. Chitleen K Sethi wrote in The Tribune that the Army was called in but never used, and that the protest site was fenced in, water and electricity to the villages feeding the protesters were cut off and mobile phone jammers were installed

   Sources [38][16][13][17][22]

8. 26 May 2008

   ConcessionState government, RajasthanShare

   After a Cabinet meeting, Raje wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recommending 4 to 6 per cent reservation for Gujjars in the category of denotified or nomadic tribes, and asked the Centre to decide the ST question.

   MoreLess · 3 sources

   The Prime Minister referred the letter to the Law Ministry. Bainsla rejected the letter as a farce

   Sources [15][40][16]

9. 27 May 2008

   NSA detentionState government, RajasthanShare

   The state invoked the National Security Act in 15 districts and empowered the district collectors to act against agitators.

   MoreLess · 2 sources

   The government said about 150 people had been arrested in agitation-related cases. Police filed cases against Bainsla over the killing of the head constable at Bayana, and the Rajasthan High Court summoned him on a contempt petition filed by the state for breach of an undertaking he gave in 2007 to maintain law and order

   Legal basis: National Security Act, 1980

   • about 150 arrested in agitation-related cases, said Government of Rajasthan (as reported by The Tribune) [16]
   • 50 booked under the National Security Act, said The Hindu (Sunny Sebastian) [41]

   Sources [16][41]

10. 18 Jun 2008

    ConcessionState government, RajasthanShare

    Talks between a Gujjar delegation led by Bainsla and a government team led by BJP leader Ramdas Agarwal concluded on 17 June.

    MoreLess · 6 sources

    On 18 June Raje, Bainsla and Agarwal announced the agreement at a joint press conference, ending the 27-day agitation. It gave 5 per cent special reservation to Gujjars, Banjaras, Gadia Lohars and Raikas. The state enacted it in a 2008 Act that created a 5 per cent quota for special backward classes. Gujjar leaders spoke of a letter to the Centre on ST status; BJP leaders said the letter would reply to a 1999 letter from the Centre

    Sources [45][44][20][36][37][21]

11. 12 Oct 2009

    OtherCourtShare

    The 2008 Act was published in the Rajasthan Gazette on 31 July 2009, and a notification of 25 August 2009 placed the four communities in the special backward class list.

    MoreLess · 5 sources

    On writ petitions by Captain Gurvinder Singh and others, a Division Bench of the Rajasthan High Court passed an interim order on 12 October 2009 restraining reservation above 50 per cent. On 22 December 2010 it found that no quantifiable data had been collected, directed the state not to give effect to Sections 3 and 4 of the 2008 Act, referred the matter to the State Backward Classes Commission for a study within one year, and said the stay would continue until the matter was decided afresh

    Sources [36][37][23][24][25]

Outcome

The 2007 agitation ended on 4 June 2007 with a committee that later advised against ST status. The 2008 agitation ended on 18 June 2008 with a 5 per cent special backward class quota, which the Rajasthan High Court stayed in 2009 and 2010 for breaching the 50 per cent ceiling. The ST demand was not conceded.

Background

Who governed at the start of the protest. Each action above counts for the party in power where and when it happened.

Centre government

INCUPA, Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister

State government

BJP in Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje, Chief Minister

Places

Patoli, Peepal Khera, Dausa, Bundi, Bonli, Pilupura, Bayana, Bharatpur, Sikandra, Karwadi

Cause

Inclusion of Gujjars in the Scheduled Tribe list of Rajasthan

Organisers

Gujjar Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, Kirori Singh Bainsla

Scale

Tens of thousands blocked national highways and rail lines across eastern Rajasthan; bandhs in Rajasthan and Delhi

What they said

Words in quote marks were matched in the source. Everything else is a summary; open the source for the exact words. Each statement says whether the speaker's party was in power or in opposition at the time.

Sources

1. 1Civil Rights Investigation into Police Firings on Gurjar Agitation in May-June 2007: Interim ReportPUCL Rajasthan, PUDR and AFDR, 11 Jun 2007T5 SecondaryArchived 6 Dec 2025
2. 2Quota KillsOutlook, 29 May 2007T5 Secondary
3. 3Gujjar Protesters Set Police Stations on FireArab News, 31 May 2007T5 Secondary
4. 4Bandhs in Rajasthan, situation tense but peacefulUNI via Oneindia, 30 May 2007T5 Secondary
5. 5Army and paramilitary forces begin pulling out after Gujjars call off agitationUNI via Oneindia, 5 Jun 2007T5 Secondary
6. 6Raje buys peace (editorial)The Tribune, 6 Jun 2007T5 SecondaryArchived 15 Jul 2007
7. 7BJP favours economic status based reservationUNI via Oneindia, 12 Sep 2007T5 Secondary
8. 8Highlights of the Report on Gujjars' demand for inclusion in ST ListLaw and Other Things, V. Venkatesan, 20 Dec 2007T5 Secondary
9. 9Scorched PastureOutlook, Smita Gupta, Jun 2007T4 Report
10. 10Resign Or Be DismissedOutlook, Vinod Agnihotri, 31 May 2007T4 Report
11. 11Nomad's WrathOutlook, Saikat Datta, Jun 2007T4 Report
12. 12At least 13 killed in Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan, Army alertedUNI via Oneindia, 23 May 2008T5 Secondary
13. 13Situation tense in Bayana, Gujjars stage dharna with bodiesUNI via Oneindia, 24 May 2008T5 Secondary
14. 14Gujjar leader turns down Raje's invitation for dialogueUNI via Oneindia, 25 May 2008T5 Secondary
15. 15Gujjars reject Raje's letter, stir to go onPTI via The Tribune, 26 May 2008T5 SecondaryArchived 29 May 2008
16. 16Gujjar protesters teargassed as agitation spreads; NSA invoked in 15 distsThe Tribune, Chitleen K Sethi, 27 May 2008T4 ReportArchived 30 May 2008
17. 17Gujjar Agitation Spreads; Death Toll Reaches 37Arab News, 27 May 2008T5 Secondary
18. 18Gujjars soften stand, ready to talkPTI via The Tribune, 29 May 2008T5 SecondaryArchived 1 Jun 2008
19. 19Gujjar Stir: Preliminary talks likely todayPTI via The Tribune, 8 Jun 2008T5 SecondaryArchived 18 Jun 2008
20. 20Gujjars, govt strike dealPTI via The Tribune, 17 Jun 2008T5 SecondaryArchived 28 Jun 2008
21. 21Gujjar agitation ends (editorial)The Tribune, 19 Jun 2008T5 SecondaryArchived 27 Jun 2008
22. 22Storm in the desert (Spectrum)The Tribune, Chitleen K. Sethi, 22 Jun 2008T4 ReportArchived 23 Feb 2011
23. 23Gujjars are back!Governance Now, Prasanna Mohanty, 15 Apr 2010T5 SecondaryArchived 7 Nov 2025
24. 24Gujjars & 4 Other Castes, Re-included in OBC list: RajasthanSabrang India, 20 May 2017T5 SecondaryArchived 24 Sep 2023
25. 25Rajasthan: Gujjar reservation and the 50 per cent ceilingThe Wire, Shruti Jain, 19 Oct 2020T5 SecondaryArchived 21 Oct 2020
26. 26Gujjar stir: bodies removed from dharna site, rail routes hitUNI via Oneindia, 3 Jun 2008T5 Secondary
27. 2713 killed in Gujjar-police clashesThe Hindu, Sunny Sebastian, 30 May 2007T4 ReportArchived 1 Jun 2007
28. 28Police opened fire as a last resort: MinisterThe Hindu, 30 May 2007T5 SecondaryArchived 3 May 2008
29. 29Rajasthan on the boil, 4 die in police firingThe Hindu, Sunny Sebastian, 1 Jun 2007T4 ReportArchived 2 Jun 2007
30. 304 more Rajasthan districts under NSAThe Hindu, Sunny Sebastian, 4 Jun 2007T4 ReportArchived 9 Jul 2007
31. 31Gujjars call off agitationThe Hindu, Sunny Sebastian, 5 Jun 2007T4 ReportArchived 7 Jun 2007
32. 32Congress, CPI(M) condemn police action in RajasthanThe Hindu, 31 May 2007T5 SecondaryArchived 1 Jul 2007
33. 33Gujjars' angerFrontline, T.K. Rajalakshmi, Jun 2007T4 ReportArchived 17 Apr 2008
34. 34Frustrated hopesFrontline, T.K. Rajalakshmi, Jun 2007T4 ReportArchived 17 Apr 2008
35. 35BJP Government's Brutal Record of Repression (Polit Bureau statement)Communist Party of India (Marxist)T1 RecordArchived 5 May 2026
36. 36Captain Gurvinder Singh & Ors vs State Of Raj (D.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 13491/2009 and connected petitions)Rajasthan High Court (text on Indian Kanoon), 22 Dec 2010T2 Court
37. 37Captain Gurvinder Singh & Ors vs State Of Raj And Ors (D.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 1645/2016 and connected petitions)Rajasthan High Court (text on Indian Kanoon), 9 Dec 2016T2 CourtArchived 9 Nov 2017
38. 38Army moves into troubled area in RajasthanThe Hindu, Sunny Sebastian, 24 May 2008T4 ReportArchived 26 May 2008
39. 39Gujjar agitation spreadsThe Hindu, Sunny Sebastian, 25 May 2008T4 ReportArchived 27 May 2008
40. 40Rajasthan not to use forceThe Hindu, Sunny Sebastian, 27 May 2008T4 ReportArchived 28 May 2008
41. 41Stalemate in RajasthanThe Hindu, Sunny Sebastian, 28 May 2008T4 ReportArchived 30 May 2008
42. 42Bainsla ready for fresh talksThe Hindu, Sunny Sebastian, 30 May 2008T4 ReportArchived 1 Jun 2008
43. 43Talks today in Gujjar strongholdThe Hindu, Mohammed Iqbal, 9 Jun 2008T4 ReportArchived 11 Jun 2008
44. 44'Solution' found for Gujjar imbroglioThe Hindu, Sunny Sebastian, 18 Jun 2008T4 ReportArchived 19 Jun 2008
45. 45Gujjars call off agitationThe Hindu, Sunny Sebastian, 19 Jun 2008T4 ReportArchived 20 Jun 2008
46. 46Gujjar agitation: Centre reviews security situation in northern StatesThe Hindu, 28 May 2008T5 SecondaryArchived 30 May 2008
47. 47Delhi-Lucknow Shatabdi stranded for three hrsThe Tribune, Tripti Nath, 29 May 2008T4 ReportArchived 1 Jun 2008
48. 48Gujjars Protest: BJP MP offers to mediateThe Tribune, Chitleen K Sethi, 29 May 2008T4 ReportArchived 1 Jun 2008
49. 49Gujjar Protest: 15 die in Bharatpur police firingPTI via The Tribune, 23 May 2008T5 Secondary
50. 50Paramilitary forces for RajasthanThe Hindu, 30 May 2007T5 SecondaryArchived 3 May 2008

Similar precedents

Faded actions are ones this precedent does not share.