JAIPUR: Protests by the BJP in Jaipur in support of widows of martyrs of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack took an ugly turn with the police lathi-charging to disperse the unruly protestors. The protest turned violent as they marched towards chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s residence. As stones were thrown at police and barricades were breached, the police resorted to lathi-charge.
Widows of martyrs have been on an agitation demanding jobs for family members. The Rajasthan police detained some BJP leaders and workers, including the deputy leader of the Opposition Rajendra Rathore. A video of the clash between the police and protestors shows several protesters sitting on the roof of a police van. The saffron party was staging the protest after its Rajya Sabha MP Kirori Lal Meena was reportedly manhandled by the state police when he and his supporters had protested against the Gehlot government on Friday.
“We have initiated the protest today and we will continue it. The kind of behaviour the state government is showcasing is an insult to democracy, we will take the protest against the government further in all corners of the state,” said Rajendra Rathore. State BJP chief Satish Poonia has also asserted that their party will also launch a ‘Jan Aakrosh’ rally.
The agitation by widows of some Pulwama martyrs has been going on for nearly two weeks in Jaipur. The widows of soldiers killed in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack have been demanding jobs for families. Their demands also included installing statues of martyrs.
On Friday, the police removed the widows who were protesting outside former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot’s house in Jaipur and shifted them to hospitals near their respective residential areas.
The BJP had targeted the state government’s action and called it “an insult to the widows” and accused the Gehlot government of not fulfilling the promises made to the families of Pulwama martyrs. The chief minister on Saturday met widows of soldiers who were killed in some earlier operations. They told Gehlot that government jobs should be given only to the children of martyrs and not to other relatives.
The Pulwama widows have been protesting since February 28 and launched an indefinite hunger strike a few days ago, demanding a change in rules so that their relatives and not just children can get government jobs on compassionate grounds. Their other demands include the construction of roads and the installation of statues of the marty s in villages.
On Thursday, Gehlot responded to their demands. He took to Twitter and asked “whether it would be appropriate to give jobs to other relatives of the martyred jawans instead of their children. What will happen to the children of the martyr when they grow up? Is it appropriate to trample upon their rights?”