A memorandum was submitted to the Chief Minister through the Divisional Commissioner regarding the indiscriminate way in which the police and administration are targeting innocent people after the violence that erupted during ST teacher recruitment movement at Kakri Dungri in Dungarpur District, Rajasthan and the need to maintain peace in the area.

Speaking on the occasion, General Secretary of Dr Ambedkar Welfare Society PR Salvi said that ST candidates have for the past one year been demanding recruitment to the 1167 General category teachers’ posts lying vacant; currently from 6 December they had been protesting peacefully at Kakri Dungri. When the government remained insensitive and refused to listen to democratic ways of protest, the protesters came out on the highway on the 18th day and violence erupted, which is unfortunate. Though the violence was incited by outsider elements, we demand a free and fair enquiry and compensation to those who suffered losses due to the violence.

Senior CPIML leader Shankarlal Chaudhury said that the police are slapping cases and arresting totally innocent persons which is illegal and a violation of human rights and must be condemned strongly. Human rights activist Rinku Parihar said that more than 24 FIRs have been registered naming 7000 persons, many of whom were not even present at the spot. Bhim Army leader Dinesh Rayakwal said that innocent people including school children are being targeted due to local politics. AICCTU leader Saurabh Naruka said that so many FIRs naming such a huge number of people arouse suspicion prima facie. Adivasi Kranti Morcha leader Babulal Kalasua said that students, teachers and even doctors from the adivasi community are being targeted who have nothing to do with the violence. One student who was in Udaipur for the B.Ed exam has also been named in an FIR. CPI leader Himmat Chhangwal said that the administration is clearly trying to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in order to prevent people from protesting for their just demands. Retd Prof RN Vyas said that BJP and its affiliated organizations are raising the bogey of ‘Naxalism’ and ‘outsiders’ in order to defame the movement and create a divide in the adivasi community. We condemn this strongly and demand that the State government should stop police repression on the just demands and movements of the adivasi community.