Protesters belonging to the Ahir community blocked the Delhi-Jaipur highway at the Kherki toll in Gurugram to demand the formation of a separate 'Ahir Regiment' in the Indian Army, news agency ANI reported.
The Gurugram police had said earlier that traffic on the Delhi-Gurugram expressway would be disrupted for around 10 hours on Wednesday, 23 March, due to a march being conducted by the Ahir community. Security had also been strengthened in view of the proposed march.
The march was scheduled to take place from Kherki Daula toll to Hero Honda chowk on National Highway 48 (NH 48) – a six kilometre stretch – on the occasion of Martyr's Day today.
The police said that the highway will be closed for vehicles from 7 am to 5 pm on Wednesday.
Plans had been made to divert vehicles to alternative routes, the police added.
What Had Police Said?
"The traffic from Jaipur will be directed to Southern Peripheral Road just before Kherki Daula toll (Givo Cut) and people can reach their destination via Sohna road. People going from Delhi towards Jaipur are advised to take alternative routes via Golf Course road and Sohna road. All traffic would be diverted at Hero Honda chowk towards Subhash chowk/Pataudi road," Ravinder Tomar, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
Security was strengthened in view of the proposed march from Kherki Dhaulla toll (Givo Cut) to Hero Honda chowk on NH48, in Gurugram, to support the cause, reported ANI.
It was also added that heavy goods vehicles and buses would be barred from entering the stretch of road on Wednesday.
The heavy goods vehicles coming from Jaipur will have to take the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) road from Pachgaon to reach Delhi and Faridabad. On the other hand, those vehicles going from Delhi to Jaipur will have to take Sohna road and KMP road, the police said.
Protests for 'Ahir Regiment'
The demand for an Ahir Regiment in the Indian Army is being raised by a group of Ahir leaders from Haryana under the banner of the Sanyukt Ahir Regiment Morcha. They have been protesting near the toll plaza since 4 February.
They argue that the Indian Army had several regiments based along caste lines. Since a large number of Ahir community members are in the army, the protesters have demanded a separate regiment along the same lines, as per a report by The Indian Express.
The morcha undertook protests in 2018 and went on a hunger strike for nine days, before politicians assured them that their demands would be met.
(With inputs from ANI and The Indian Express.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)