Jailed Gujjar women granted bail

A local court on Thursday granted bail to 25 arrested Gujjar women, raising hopes of revival of the talks between community leaders agitating for ST status and the state government as their release from jail was made a precondition for the dialogue to begin in Jaipur.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Bhuvan Goel ordered the bail of the 25 women, who were taken into custody for damaging rail tracks in Bandikui in this district last week.

The judge asked them to furnish a personal bond of Rs 10,000 each and a surety of like amount for their release from prison, Station House Officer of the police station here Girdhari Lal Sharma told PTI on phone from the court premises.

Their bail pleas were rejected on Wednesday by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate in Bandikui Rita Tejwani.

Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla had on Wednesday said that he will not send a delegation to Jaipur for the second round of talks till the women were freed.

Bainsla, who had agreed on Tuesday to send a Gujjar delegation to the state capital to resume talks with the government, had retracted his decision Wednesday on the issue of the women, who were arrested under various sections of the IPC and the Railway Act.