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OrlandoSentinel.com

Lower caste protests hit New Delhi

By MUNEEZA NAQVI

Associated Press Writer

5:16 AM EDT, May 29, 2008

NEW DELHI

Members of one of India's lower castes blocked major roads, burned car tires, and threw stones at police in several areas around New Delhi on Thursday in a continuation of protests in the country's north and west that left 39 people dead.

Members of the Gujjar tribe threatened to shut down the capital unless the government agreed to reclassify them as members of the lowest caste so that they can benefit from government quotas.

Hundreds of protesters blocked traffic at major roads around the edges of New Delhi, burning tires alongside a traffic jam that sprawled in all directions. In some areas, police fired tear gas to quell the stone-throwing mobs.

"This will go on until our demands are met," said Surjit Singh, a Gujjar protester who stood in front of hundreds of cars.

Authorities deployed thousands of police to key points to minimize disruptions. The traffic snarls were limited to the borders of the Indian capital and the city was largely running normally by midmorning. There were no reports of violence.

The group began protesting last week in northern and western India, disrupting traffic and transportation links across the state of Rajasthan in protests that turned violent.

The leader of the tribe, Kirori Singh Bainsala, and 13 others have been charged with murder and rioting. The murder charge is connected to the killing of a policeman who was beaten to death during protests.

No mention has been made of any possible action against the police officers who used live ammunition over two days in half a dozen villages and towns in Rajasthan to suppress the demonstrations, killing 38 people.

Gujjars took to the streets after a government panel set up to look into their demands recommended a $70 million aid package for their community, but ruled out caste reclassification.

Gujjars are considered part of the second-lowest group, known as Other Backward Classes, a step up from the Scheduled Tribes and Castes, the lowest classification.

Soon after India's independence from Britain in 1947 it was made illegal to discriminate against someone based on the Hindu caste system, but its influence remains powerful and the government sets quotas for jobs and university spots for the different caste groups.

Twenty-six people died in Gujjar riots in Rajasthan last year.