Chopra Committee to submit report to Rajasthan govt today

Jaipur, Dec 15: Justice Jasraj Chopra Committee, constituted by the Rajasthan Government to examine the Gujjar community’s demand of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, will submit its report to the government today.

The government will then forward the report to the Centre.

BJP state president Mahesh Sharma yesterday said that the report would not affect the prospects of other communities in availing quota benefits under the SC, ST or OBC category in the state.

He further added he did not see possibility of any clash between the Gujjar and Meena communities as the report was unlikely to hurt interests of any community.

The Committee was constituted by the State Government on June 13 in compliance with the peace understanding signed between Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and representatives of the Gujjar Reservation Action Committee, led by its convenor Colonel Kirodi Singh Bainsla, on June 4 after a week-long pitched agitation.

The agitation, launched by the Action Committee throughout the state from May 29, had witnessed widespread violence. The violence and police firings had left 25 people dead and scores of others injured.

The Committee was initially accorded a term of three months for submission of the report. But later the State Government extended on September 15 the term by three months to enable it to accomplish the task by December 15. (ANI)