Over 65,000 Gurjars courted arrest in various parts of Rajasthan on Tuesday, demanding Scheduled Tribe status, officials said.
Gujjar Mahasabha patron Col (retd) K S Bainsala, Congress MP Sachin Pilot, BJP rebels Atar Singh Bhadana and Prahlad Gunjal, Lokjanshakti Party MLA Ranveer S Gudha were among those who courted arrest in Kota, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Ajmer, Rajsamnd and Jhunjhunu districts.
Pilot, who led a procession of thousands of Gujjars at Muhana Mode, 25 km from Jaipur, addressed a public gathering and then boarded buses provided by the state administration, SP East V K Singh said. He was later shifted to the Jaipur Central Jail.
On the other hand, Bainsala courted arrest at the mela ground in Bharatpur along with his supporters, Additional DGP Omendra Bhardwaj told PTI over phone.
Of those who courted arrest, about 5,000 were lodged in the district jails or temporary jails created in schools and college or in open grounds, Home Secretary B L Arya said.
The legal process of putting the remaining protestors in jail was underway, and the exact number would be known by Wednesday morning, IGP (Prison) J K Sharma said.
There was no untoward incident during the jail bharo agitation, Bhardwaj claimed.
The state government has put up 259 temporary jails to lodge the agitators, and also made arrangements for their food and stay, if they do not seek any bail. Thousands of state road transport buses were stationed near their sit-in sites in all five divisional headquarters.
Twenty-two areas in 14 affected districts have been turned into cantonments with the deployment of CRPF, Rapid Action Force, BSF and Rajasthan Armed Constabulary personnel.
