Protesters rush towards National Highway 24 to block traffic in Delhi. (Below) Bricks litter a road in Ghaziabad during a protest. (Rajesh Kumar and AFP)

May 29: The Centre braced for possible disruption by Gujjar food suppliers in a large swathe of the north as the unrest spread to other states on a day the protesters marked the first anniversary of their dead.

Home ministry officials spoke of intelligence reports about agitators starving the capital of milk and vegetables in a ploy to get their demand for ST status accepted. Large numbers of Gujjars are involved in dairy farming.

The Centre warned of tough measures if the planned blockade went ahead. “They would be committing suicide if they take such steps. All measures will be taken to keep the law and order situation under control,” a senior home ministry official said.

Amid the threat of a blockade, two protesters were killed when police fired on a Gujjar mob at Samalakha in Haryana’s Panipat district. One of them, an elderly farmer, was killed in the stampede sparked by the action.

In the national capital region, the Gujjars took to the streets, disrupting traffic and forcing scores of office-goers who travel from Noida to the city to return or stay at home.

At Jantar Mantar, in the heart of the capital, members of the All India Gujjar Mahasabha gathered to observe the first death anniversary of the “martyrs” who lost their lives during the agitation this day last year.

“Why are we being asked to think about the general public? It is we who lost our men, not the general public. So we will continue to protest,” the Mahasabha’s working president, Ramsaran Bhati, told his supporters. Around 200 protesters were detained in the capital.

In Rajasthan, the protests’ focal point, thousands of Gujjars prayed for those killed in Patoli and Peepalkheda a year ago. The state government refused permission for the “tribute programme” to be held at Patoli in Dausa district, last year’s flashpoint. The army surrounded the area.

The main event was held at Sikandra Chowk, where thousands still squatted with bodies of six protesters killed in last Saturday’s firing. In Jodhpur, a candlelight procession was taken out to mark “martyrs’ day”.

While the agitators dug their heels in, the BJP-led Vasundhara Raje Scindia government air-dropped pink leaflets in the trouble spots, appealing for peace.

Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde said in Jaipur the state was ready for talks with the protesters “by any means”.

Emerging from a meeting between party leaders and the government chaired by the chief minister, he said an invitation for talks would be sent to community leader Kirori Singh Bainsla, now in Pilupura. But Bainsla insisted on being offered a “proper proposal”.

A post-mortem was ordered on the bodies of 14 firing victims lying at Sawai Man Singh Hospital since last week. Twelve bodies at Pilupura and six at Sikandra Chowk will also be sent for autopsy if the protesters agree, Munde said.

The railways cancelled 18 trains, bound for or passing through Rajasthan.

In Madhya Pradesh, also ruled by the BJP, trouble broke out near Gwalior as Gujjar leaders warned of a separate agitation if they were not classified as tribals. They won support from their brethren in Jammu and Kashmir, where the community already enjoys that status.