Gujjar sends corpses, with a threat

Earlier this month, Gujjar had written to the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, offering to surrender in any of the states if his demands are fulfilled. Gujjar demanded that all criminal cases against him be transferred to the state which accepts his conditions and that his daughter-in-law Sarla Jatav be let off. In Uttar Pradesh, however, he even demanded a political career, on the lines of Phoolan Devi.

Instead, police had turned the heat on Gujjar’s gang and in an attack on the night of August 9, they almost got to him. On August 23, the forces of UP and MP joined hands against Gujjar, saying ‘‘the job of the police was not to effect a surrender’’.

Today, the bodies of the farmers, riddled with bullets, were found in a village near Jalaun. One of them, Shiromani had been kidnapped almost a year ago. Kishnu was picked up around six months ago. A letter tucked inside Shiromani’s pocket said the the police should stop attacking Gujjar or he would execute a massacre on Rakshabhandan day. Senior officials of Jalaun and Etawah region have rushed to the spot and the entire region has been cordoned off.

Sources say another provocation for Gujjar pulling the trigger was the police targeting his nephew, Chintu. Chintu’s name had figured in the interrogation of Gujjar’s wife, Neelam, and son Shyam Jatav. His house was also raided.