Seated inside a makeshift tent on National Highway 11 in Sikandara, where he has been guarding his son Mukul’s corpse for the last five days, Yogendra Ram Karsana fumes at the mention of Meenas, the community that enjoys ST status but doesn’t want Gurjjars to be granted the same. “We have nothing against Meenas. We are only asking the government for ST status,” he says.

But a few kilometres away from where Karsana is sitting—with hundreds of his community members and six corpses—the Community Health Centre, the only government-run health centre in Sikandara, tells the story of a divide that runs deep.

At noon, the CHC is empty except for Dr Balwir Singh Gurjjar, who was sent on deputation from his parent PHC in Dausa in the wake of Sunday’s violence. He has attended to at least 50 cases in the last two days while four doctors posted at the CHC went missing from action when the violence unfolded on Sunday.

Chief Medical Health officer for Dausa region, Dr C.B. Danawat, said Dr Gurjjar was posted to ensure that there was calm in Sikandara, the worst affected place. “I was sent here the very evening the violence broke out. I was asked to rush,” Dr Gurjjar explains.

That is when Kamal Singh Gurjjar, a 21-year-old student who was injured during the agitation, rushed to the CHC for first aid. “I found Dr Gurjjar here and had no problem going to him for treatment,” he says.

Of the CHC’s four doctors, two from the Meena community proceeded on long leave. The other two have turned up intermittently after the violence. “I was sent to Khedla dispensary to attend to the injured coming from Bayana,” said Dr C.B. Sharma, who is in charge of the CHC, adding that the Meena doctors, Dr Ghanshyam Meena and Dr Mukesh Meena, were on “permitted leave”.

... contd.