Delhi braces for Gujjars' raasta, rail roko

Securitymen were deployed on Wednesday in strength in and around the National Capital Region, which braced for spill-over effect of Gujjars' agitation in Rajasthan as members of the community enforce rail and road blockade in Delhi and its adjacent states on Thursday.
There was no sign of an early end to the six-day agitation as the issue of Gujjars' demand became a political football between the BJP government in Rajasthan and the UPA government at the Centre with one side putting the onus on the other to give the community ST status.
Gujjar protestors held up traffic on some key stretches in and around Delhi and forced shutdowns of markets in several areas in Rajasthan.
A group of protesters set tyres afire in Gurgaon's M G Road area where major shopping malls are located, causing a major traffic jam, police said.
They dispersed after police intervened.
Movement of vehicles was disrupted in sections of Mehrauli-Gurgaon and GT-Karnal roads by protesters who put up blockades.
Taking no chances, the Union Home Ministry asked Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and the National Capital Region to take all measures to maintain peace in the wake of rail and raasta roko call by the agitators.
Large contingents of police are keeping a vigil across the capital, especially in Gujjar-strongholds of Mehrauli, Ghazipur, Patparganj, Badarpur, Khanpur, Ayanagar, Chilia village and Rampur.