Fourteen killed in Indian riots
Fourteen people have been killed in western India after police opened fire on protesting ethnic Gujjars demanding special status as a tribe to gain government jobs and places in educational institutions.
Police shot seven protesters dead in running battles with thousands of Gujjars who had gathered on a main highway and blocked traffic near Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan state, local government officials said.
Police shot dead another six protesters while one policeman was beaten to death by crowds in Bundi, a town about three hours' drive from Jaipur.
Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said in one incident a mob cut off the hands of one policeman and chopped off a leg of another.
"Fourteen persons, including a policeman, have been killed in the clashes," Kataria told a news conference, adding that two policemen remained missing.
He said the army had been called in to contain the violence that left scores of people, including dozens of policemen, injured.
Protesters blocked the highway often used by tourists travelling between Jaipur and Agra, home to the Taj Mahal.
The Gujjars are demanding the status of a "scheduled tribe" which, under Indian law, would benefit them with government jobs and education opportunities.
The Gujjars belong to the northwestern parts of India. Most of them are Hindus except those in Muslim-majority Kashmir state, who follow Islam. They have traditionally been farmers on the plains and shepherds in the hills.
The issue of job and education quotas for lower castes and tribal peoples has often sparked controversy and protests in India.
Last year, dozens of medical students were injured in clashes with police as they protested against a government plan to reserve some seats at universities for lower castes and tribes.
© 2007
Reuters, Click for Restrictions
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